$50K MD Lottery Win On Scratch-Off Ticket Sold At Silver Spring Store

SILVER SPRING, MD — Since the Maryland Lottery first released its Cash Boom scratch-off game on Sept. 18, only two of the $50,000 top-prize tickets had been claimed. But that all changed recently, when a Silver Spring man named "Nikko" claimed the $50,000 prize on an instant ticket he'd bought at a local grocery store.

Nikko and his wife were picking up dinner at Giant #301 at 13781 Connecticut Ave. in Silver Spring, when he followed his weekly routine and purchased four of the "Cash Boom" scratch-offs. The first two tickets were duds, but the third one turned out to be worth $10.

The Silver Spring man told lottery officials that he saved the final ticket for his wife, whom he said made him lucky.

At first, the man and his wife thought the fourth ticket was another non-winner. It wasn't until the man scanned all four tickets at the store that they realized the one his wife had scratched off was the $50,000 top prize winning ticket.

“I play all of the time,” the man said. “I wasn’t that surprised that I had won, but by the amount! My wife and I were speechless and still don’t believe this is our reality.”

Aside from paying some bills, the Silver Spring couple are still thinking about how to spend their winnings. Mrs. Nikko suggested they might send some to her family in Southeast Asia. If any money is leftover, Nikko said he'd like to use it to repaint his vehicle.

For selling the $50,000 top-prize winning instant ticket, Giant #301 will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery.