BALTIMORE (Nov. 1, 2016)—"This can't be!" thought the lucky Brandywine man while holding a 7 scratch-off that appeared to give him a $77,777 top-prize win.
"I thought I was seeing things," the lucky winner said. In fact, when the $77,777 prize appeared on the last row of his game, the shocked player dropped the coin he was using to scratch off the instant ticket. The 74-year-old has enjoyed $5 and $20 wins here and there but never before experienced a win so large. Only after the dubious man claimed his prize at Lottery headquarters was he convinced the lucky ticket was real.
His journey to the Lottery Winner's Circle began when he stopped at Three Roads Liquors in Brandywine to buy instant tickets. The Prince George's County resident saw the popular 7 scratch-off, which the Lottery has offered before, and purchased five of the $5 instant tickets. Scratch-offs are his game of choice, he said, but he plays Mega Millions every now and then.
The federal government retiree of 13 years wasn't sure how he would spend his prize. A vacation doesn't excite him, he said, because he's hoping to win again and doesn't want to be out of town and miss out on the next winning scratch-off in Maryland.
Three Roads Liquors located at 13704 Brandywine Road also benefits from his luck. The store will receive a $777 bonus for selling a top-prize winning scratch-off in the 7 game. There are still lots of prizes remaining in the new ticket, which went on sale Sept. 26. Unclaimed prizes include five top prizes of $77,777 and 15 prizes of $7,000.