Store clerk’s reminder leads to lucky lottery player’s big win. ‘We all screamed’
A lottery player had “given up hope” that she would win — then she “froze” when she checked her last ticket.
“The cashier confirmed it was a $50,000 winner and we all screamed,” the lucky ticket holder told the Maryland Lottery in a June 26 news release.
But the grandmother’s big win almost didn’t happen.
The woman was at a convenience store when she bought tickets for some lottery games. As she was preparing to leave, the clerk reminded her she hadn’t gotten her usual scratch-off tickets.
“He said, ‘you forgot to get your scratch-offs,’” the winner said in the release. “So, I turned around and bought a variety of $5 tickets at the vending machine.”
One of those tickets won her a top prize in the Mosaic Money game, and she couldn’t contain her excitement. Then she “gathered herself, went into work and later locked her ticket up in a safe at home,” according to lottery officials.
The woman celebrated after trying her luck at the Quick Stop Food Mart in Columbia, a roughly 20-mile drive southeast from downtown Baltimore. Her prize came at an ideal time.
“She plans to invest her winnings, help family and use some for her great grandchild that’s on the way,” officials wrote.
The woman, identified only by the nickname Winston/Rock, works for a school district. Lottery officials didn’t say how much she kept after taxes.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Store clerk’s reminder leads to lucky lottery player’s big win. ‘We all screamed’."
