Navy veteran uses ‘lucky nickel’ to scratch MD lottery tickets. It finally paid off

A retired Maryland man regularly uses a “lucky nickel” to play the scratch-off lottery. Now, the coin has finally earned its name.

The man, a 62-year-old who had a career in the U.S. Navy and Pentagon Police, now has a retirement hobby of playing the lottery several times each week, according to a March 22 news release from the Maryland Lottery.

His lottery ritual involves a favored piece of change he keeps in his car.

“I will use a nickel for as long as I can keep it,” he told the Maryland Lottery. “They usually last about two months before I lose them and have to get a new one.”

Recently, he purchased a $10 scratch-off ticket from a 7-Eleven in Waldorf, a suburb of Washington, D.C., officials said.

When he began scraping away at the ticket, he noticed he’d won $50 at a minimum. Then — after scratching more lines — he realized there were a few more zeroes.

“I looked at it and I won $50,000. I was like, ‘Really!’” he told the Maryland Lottery.

The man isn’t sure how he will spend his winnings, but he noted that his wife’s birthday is around the corner.

This story was originally published March 23, 2023 at 9:46 AM with the headline "Navy veteran uses ‘lucky nickel’ to scratch MD lottery tickets. It finally paid off."