Hagerstown man claims top prize on Winter Cash Tripler scratch-off
Winter is finally over and so is the search for the last $100,000 top-prize winner on the Maryland Lottery’s Winter Cash Tripler scratch-off!
A warehouse night shift worker from Hagerstown got a sleep-zapping surprise early on the morning of Friday, March 13, when he made a lucky stop at his local Sheetz. The 55-year-old had just dropped one of his three children at school when he decided to visit the convenience store to buy scratch-offs.
Friday the 13th is his wife’s favorite day. “That’s why I stopped,” he said. The loyal player favors Powerball and Mega Millions but sometimes a scratch-off finds its way into the mix. This time, he went with scratch-offs from the start.
“I told the girl behind the counter to pick a $10, $5, $2 and $3 scratch-off,” he said. Her first three choices failed to win. That last instant ticket he scratched off in the store, the $10 Winter Cash Tripler, revealed the eye-opening $100,000 prize.
“I sat there and looked at it for a while,” he said. “I didn’t believe it.”
He left the store quietly and called his wife at her job. She remembers thinking he was kidding when he first asked, “Do you want to go for a ride to Baltimore?” They were soon Baltimore bound to claim the prize at Lottery headquarters. At first, he put the ticket above his vehicle visor but she worried about it flying out the window and getting lost. That lucky ticket stayed safe and sound in the glove box for most of the ride.
The two plan to spend their prize on a down payment on a house. Their lucky purchase on what some believe is an unlucky day also benefits the retailer. Sheetz #145 at 18717 Longmeadow Road in Hagerstown will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize ticket.