Gaithersburg Ravens Fan Picked From 1.1M Entries To Win Seats for 20 Years

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Gaithersburg resident Ariadna Bila learned Wednesday she was selected from more than 1.1 million entries in the Maryland Lottery's “Seats for 20 Years” prize category. The highly sought-after prize includes two Club Level tickets to every pre-season and regular-season home game, along with parking.

Before the winner was picked, finalists and their guests took a private tour of M&T Bank Stadium, snapped photos and visited the Ravens’ locker room, where a personalized jersey — with the winner’s last name — hung behind a curtain. Qadry Ismail, former Raven and current member of the Ravens broadcast team, slowly removed the curtain and revealedAriadna’s name on the jersey.

After she yelled, “Yeah,” and jumped in the air, Ariadna was quickly swept into a group hug with her husband, Rogerio and six-year-old daughter, Kaylin.

“This is amazing,” Ariadna said in a Maryland Lottery news release. “I can’t stop shaking.”

The 27-year-old was one of the Ravens second-chance finalists who gathered at the stadium. All six were already winners, having received $10,000 just for being selected. The other finalists were: Federico Gamboa from Lutherville; Angela Ferraro from Nottingham; Richard Krach from Towson; Mallory Malla from Crofton; and Damien Merritt from Rosedale.

For the eighth year in a row, the Lottery partnered with the Ravens during the 2016 football season. Players entered non-winning $2 and $5 Ravens scratch-offs into their My Lottery Rewards account. Once a ticket was submitted, entrants could select which prize category they wanted to enter, including “Seats for 20 Years,” Away Trips with the Team, Season Tickets for One Season and cash. Throughout the season, more than 3.4 million entries were received for the entire second-chance contest.

Past winners of the “Seats for 20 Years” include Kim Feather from Pasadena; Dawn Brink from Stevensville; Vanessa Williams from Rosedale; Beth Bunch from Baltimore; Vernon Miller, Jr. from Bel Air; Tuesday Johnson from Germantown; and Brenda Grier from Glen Burnie.

»PHOTO: Ariadna Bila of Gaithersburg couldn’t stop shaking while celebrating her Ravens “Seats for 20 Years” win with her husband, Rogerio and daughter, Kaylin. Photo courtesy of the Maryland Lottery.