Lottery player checks ticket before tossing it out — then clerk reminds him to breathe
A retired truck driver in Maryland recently bought a batch of scratch-off tickets. After checking his tickets, he was prepared to throw them all out except for a $10 winner.
The 73-year-old from Baltimore County has a routine when it comes to playing the lottery, according to a June 6 Maryland Lottery news release. Once a month, he buys several tickets, scratches them, double checks them at a lottery retailer and then tosses the non-winners.
While checking his latest round of tickets, he got an unusual message on the scanner: “Go to Lottery.”
The man took his Bingo X10 ticket that he originally thought hadn’t won anything to the clerk, officials said. That’s when he realized he had won much more than $10.
“She said to me, ‘You know what that means when you get that message,’” he told officials. “I started to get excited. Then, she checked it and told me that it was a $100,000 winner.”
The lottery player was so excited by his prize, that he said the clerk had to tell him to breathe and calm down, according to officials.
Now, the retiree said he plans to use his prize to pay some bills and keep playing scratch-off tickets. He bought his winning ticket at High’s convenience store in Dundalk — which is about 10 miles southeast of Baltimore.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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