$100K Scratch-Off Win Gives Olney Mom Insomnia

OLNEY, MD — An Olney couple’s routine trip to the grocery store replenished both their pantry and their bank account, thanks to the Maryland Lottery. The husband and wife bought just one Big Money Bingo scratch-off while shopping at a Safeway store in Olney.

“It was my day off and I went there to get my beer,” the husband told Maryland Lottery officials. He also bought one of the $10 scratch-offs that went on sale around the state on Aug. 28. His “lucky wife,” as he calls her, spotted the big win as he scratched the ticket in the store. Neither could believe they had found the first of the six top prizes in the new game.

“I was only 50 percent sure we won,” said the 61-year-old Montgomery County man in a news release.

They brought the scratch-off home, still not certain of their prize, and hid the lucky ticket in the wife’s purse. “For two nights, she couldn’t sleep,” said the hotel management employee. “I slept great!”

Only when the two arrived at Lottery headquarters and had their win confirmed by an employee did they believe their Lottery luck was real. The parents of three say they will use the prize to pay off a second mortgage and their credit cards. They also plan to buy a vehicle.

Also celebrating in their win is the lucky Safeway. For selling the top-prize scratch-off in the game, the store located at 3333 Spartan Road in Olney earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.

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