Lottery player buys ticket during ‘last-minute’ grocery trip — then wife starts dancing

A man decided to buy scratch-offs during a “last-minute” grocery trip and his decision paid off big, Maryland officials said.

The winner was at a Safeway in Arnold buying groceries when he decided he’d get a few scratch-offs too, according to a Dec. 13 news release by the Maryland Lottery. He had no clue his decision would score him a $100,000 prize.

At first, the man wanted to buy his go-to game but opted for the $100,000 Crossword game and a few Ravens instant tickets instead, officials said.

Once he was home with his wife, the two started scratching after dinner, lottery officials said.

The first few tickets were duds so the couple didn’t think they’d won, until they got to the last ticket, officials said.

“I started scratching and started to see the words match,” the lucky man told lottery officials. “I counted out loud until I realized we just won $100,000.”

The man said his wife started “dancing with joy” after verifying the win, lottery officials said.

Although the winner doesn’t have immediate plans for money, the couple said the win was “blessing” and came to them at a “perfect time, just before the holidays,” according to the release.

Arnold is about 20 miles southeast of Baltimore.

This story was originally published December 13, 2023 at 5:26 PM with the headline "Lottery player buys ticket during ‘last-minute’ grocery trip — then wife starts dancing."