Lottery player thinks she won $10. Then she’s ‘stunned’ to learn she won much more
A Maryland woman has played lottery games for more than 20 years.
But in those two decades, the Howard County woman has only won small prizes, Maryland Lottery officials said in a March 19 news release.
So when she scanned her $20 Bonus Bingo X20 ticket and the words “Take ticket to Lottery” appeared, she was bewildered, lottery officials said.
“Unsure what it meant, she asked the retailer to check it,” lottery officials said.
They confirmed she was a winner, but she still didn’t know how much her ticket was worth.
The “curious and excited” woman headed home, where she “finished scratching the ticket,” lottery officials said.
Thinking her ticket came with a $10 prize, she headed back to the store to confirm and was “stunned” to learn she actually won $50,000.
“I’m just so thankful to have won,” she told lottery officials.
The woman, who has only told close family about her prize, said she plans to spend her winnings on home renovations.
Despite her big win, the woman told lottery officials she plans to continue playing lottery games, “hoping for another lucky break in the near future.”
Howard County is about a 30-mile drive west from Baltimore.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Lottery player thinks she won $10. Then she’s ‘stunned’ to learn she won much more."
