$50K Winner: 'I Can Finally Pay Off Some Of My Bills'

GLEN BURNIE, MD — A Glen Burnie caregiver was thrilled last week to win a $50,000 early Mother’s Day gift, courtesy of the Maryland Lottery’s Deluxe Crossword scratch-off. “I’ve been playing tickets, playing tickets, playing tickets and finally I won big,” the happy 59-year-old said in a Lottery news release. “I still can’t believe this happened!”

A day off for many of us is a time for relaxation and catching up on chores and errands. For this hardworking mother, a day off provides time to play Lottery games. The loyal player, nicknamed “Lucky Caregiver,” was at Xpress Mart in Glen Burnie getting gas when she spotted some of her favorite scratch-offs. Rather than pick only one of the crossword and bingo games on display, “Lucky Caregiver” selected one of each.

She drove home and was eager to scratch off her instant tickets. Slowly scratching section by section, she realized she won something on the $5 Deluxe Crossword game. Unsure of the size of her prize, “Lucky Caregiver” went to a Lottery retailer near her home and scanned the scratch-off. Seconds later, she found out she was the third person to win the game’s top prize of $50,000.

“I was in shock and had to ask the retailer to confirm what I just saw on the screen,” the winner said. “They told me that I won $50,000 and right away, I said, ‘I can finally pay off some of my bills!’ ” The lucky scratch-off fan plans to use the rest of her prize for future endeavors.

The Deluxe Crossword game is still packed with unclaimed prizes, including six more $50,000 top prizes and 13 $10,000 prizes.

Xpress Mart located at 7760 Baltimore-Annapolis Blvd. earned a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize scratch-off in the game. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.

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