Every time the Maryland man buys lottery tickets, he doesn’t check them immediately.
Instead, he lets the anticipation build throughout the day, waiting until he’s put his toddler to bed to check on them, Maryland Lottery officials said in a May 23 news release.
When he was younger, he was “a casino guy who loved trips to Las Vegas,” lottery officials said.
But now, with a toddler and a baby on the way, he told lottery officials he plays lottery games to “unwind at the end of the day.”
“Sometimes he wins a few dollars, sometimes nothing,” lottery officials said. “But on May 18, things were different.”
On his way to work, lottery officials said the Gaithersburg man picked up four $5 Lightning Cash tickets at a Liberty gas station in Damascus.
To win, players must reveal at least 15 lightning bolts, officials said.
While checking his tickets after his toddler fell sound asleep, the man discovered that his first ticket “had 15 diamonds for a $10 win.”
Although the next two tickets were not winning, lottery officials said the final ticket “appeared to have more flashes than any of the previous tickets.”
It turned out that there were 22 tiles, which won him the game’s top prize of $50,000.
The man asked his mother-in-law to check his ticket, confirming he had won, authorities said.
Then the man told lottery officials he collected three of his tickets and asked his wife to check them.
As she checked the first two, lottery officials said she was starting to lose interest.
“But then she counted the bolts on the third one and said, ‘Oh my God,'” according to lottery officials.
Although the man is a regular player, he told lottery officials this was his “first really big win.”
The man told lottery officials he planned to spend his prize money to pay off his student loans, as well as “set up education funds for his children.”
Damascus is about a 40-mile drive west of Baltimore.
Many people can gamble or gamble safely. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin their lives and families.
If you or a loved one are showing signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the National Gambling Hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or by visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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