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Couple almost missed out on life-changing lottery prize, but they doubled back

A truck driver from Maryland won $250,000 with a scratch-off ticket, lottery officials said.
A truck driver from Maryland won $250,000 with a scratch-off ticket, lottery officials said. Maryland Lottery

A Maryland couple almost missed out on a life-changing lottery prize.

The husband and wife were grocery shopping at a store in Baltimore County “when they realized that they had passed the store’s lottery vending machine,” Maryland Lottery officials said in a June 2 news release.

“We still had a lot to get and were short on time so we debated going back to get a ticket,” the husband told lottery officials. “We almost didn’t, but we doubled back.”

They settled on a Money Bags scratch-off that cost $10, and ended up winning $250,000, lottery officials said.

Later, the husband was mowing the grass when his wife came outside to let him know they’d won.

She asked him to guess the amount of their windfall, lottery officials said.

“I guessed $500, which is the most I’d ever won, and she pointed up. I made a couple more guesses and she kept pointing. Then she got too excited to wait and showed it to me. 100% disbelief,” he said, according to the release.

The husband and wife plan to pay bills and do some remodeling with the winnings, lottery officials said.

Plus, “we should still have plenty left over to find something fun to do,” the husband said, per the release.

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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This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Couple almost missed out on life-changing lottery prize, but they doubled back."

Sara Schilling
mcclatchy-newsroom
Sara Schilling is a former journalist for mcclatchy-newsroom
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