National

Woman called unlucky by others buys her first lottery ticket and wins big. ‘Shocked’

The woman said she “just could not believe” her big win on her first lottery ticket, Maryland Lottery officials said.
The woman said she “just could not believe” her big win on her first lottery ticket, Maryland Lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

The thought of buying a lottery ticket crossed a Maryland woman’s mind more than once.

However, “one thing kept her from taking the plunge,” Maryland Lottery officials said in a Dec. 11 news release.

“I almost never carry cash,” the woman told lottery officials.

Then, as luck would have it, when the woman was paying for gasoline at a Waldorf store Friday, Dec. 6, she got some change.

She “noticed the lottery signs” and used her change to buy a Mega Bucks instant ticket, lottery officials said.

“I had a $10 bill, and it was the first $10 ticket I saw,” the woman said.

Later that evening, the woman scratched her ticket and found it was a match.

“I didn’t want to get too excited,” she said. “It was the first game I’d ever played. Maybe I wasn’t reading the rules correctly.”

She invited a family member over to confirm her win.

Sure enough, they confirmed the woman had won the game’s top prize of $100,000, lottery officials said.

“My palms started sweating,” the woman said. “I just could not believe it.”

The win left her “shocked,” the woman told lottery officials.

“All of my life … people have told me that I’m unlucky,” the woman said. “This proves them all wrong.”

Mega Bucks debuted in November, and this was the game’s first top prize winner, lottery officials said. There are eight more top prizes available, as well as nine second-tier prizes of $50,000.

Waldorf is about a 25-mile drive southeast from Washington, D.C.

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 December 11, 2024 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Woman called unlucky by others buys her first lottery ticket and wins big. ‘Shocked’."

Daniella Segura
McClatchy DC
Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
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