Nottingham Man Wins $100,000 Playing Ravens Scratch-Off

NOTTINGHAM, MD — A Nottingham man won thousands of dollars when his luck struck twice in recent weeks, according to the Maryland Lottery.

Eric Johnson was out running errands when he purchased a winning Ravens X10 scratch-off ticket.

When he scratched off his $5 ticket at home and saw that there was a $100,000 prize, he said he could not believe it.

"I initially thought that the prize amount on the ticket was a mistake!" Johnson said, recalling: "My heart sank."

Once it dawned on him that the ticket was real, he said he started shaking and called for his wife. She thought he was playing a joke on her at first.

Now, the couple plans to use part of their winnings to pay for their son's education and to take a trip to Key West in Florida.

"We feel truly blessed,” said Joann Johnson, who has been married to Eric for 18 years.

Paul's Market shares in the celebration; for selling the $100,000 ticket, the shop at 4571 Ridge Road will receive a bonus of $1,000.

And that wasn't where the winning ended for the Nottingham lotto player.

"Eric has had an amazingly lucky year," his wife told lottery officials.

At the end of August, he was randomly picked as one of 30 contestants competing for $100,000 at the Maryland State Fair last weekend. All contestants there left with at least $500, according to the Maryland Lottery.

Photo courtesy of Maryland Lottery.