Rockville Man to Share $10K Win With His Mother

ROCKVILLE, MD — A loyal Maryland Lottery scratch-off fan who faithfully follows a “Let Yourself Play” philosophy several times a week turned a $20 investment into a $10,000 win. The recently released 50x The Cash game, which went on sale Jan. 23, caught the eye of Yasar Altinay of Rockville because it was new according to a Maryland Lottery news release.

“I woke up in the morning and I had $20. I said, ‘I have to buy scratch-offs,” and off he went to his favorite Lottery retailer – the Safeway grocery store located at 403 Redland Boulevard in Rockville.

The father of three already had the address of Lottery headquarters in Baltimore with him “just in case” he ever won. After revealing his big win, Yasar quietly said, “Yay!” and then verified the prize using the store’s ticket checker. Seeing the message to claim his prize at Lottery headquarters, he left the Montgomery County store and drove straight to Baltimore.

Until his visit to the Lottery’s office, the only person he had told about the win was his mother. She was the first person Yasar called to share the good news, and he said he plans to share some of the prize with her. The regular scratch-off player works as a wholesale jeweler and also is a manager with a Bethesda restaurant.

His largest previous prize of $8,000 came from a Pick 3 ticket he purchased about 18 months ago.

“With that prize, I bought a new car and paid off my bills,” he said, adding that his latest prize will put a new Rolex watch on his wrist, pay off bills and help his mother.

»Photo: Finding a $10,000 scratch-off prize on the 50x The Cash game gave Yasar Altinay of Rockville reason to smile. Courtesy of Maryland Lottery