Poolesville Scratch-Off Player’s $100K Win Fills Bank Account

POOLESVILLE, MD — Winning a $100,000 top prize on a Maryland Lottery scratch-off distracted Richard McKinley of Poolesville so much that he left the Jessup Shell without remembering to pump the gas he bought along with his winning instant ticket.

The transportation industry worker was headed to his job when he stopped for gas, bought The Big $10 Ticket and scratched it off in the store. After seeing he matched one number on the $10 scratch-off, Richard scanned it using the store’s ticket checker before revealing the amount of the prize.

“The message that came up said it was too large to claim and I had to bring it to Lottery headquarters,” Richard told Maryland Lottery officials. “I then scratched the prize and saw it was $100,000. At that point, I left the store and forgot to pump my gas!”

The 58-year-old Montgomery County resident tried to call his wife but she didn’t answer the phone. “I finally got in touch with her and she still didn’t believe me,” he said in a news release. “I then took a picture of the ticket and sent it to her.”

The big winner has no immediate plans for his windfall other than paying bills. The retailer that sold the winning scratch-off, Jessup Shell at 8755 Washington Blvd. in Jessup, will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling a top-prize instant ticket.

»Photo of Richard McKinley of Poolesville, who won a $100,000 top-prize win on The Big $10 Ticket. Courtesy of the Maryland Lottery