A lucky Glen Burnie man will always remember his first big Maryland Lottery win that turned a $2 wager into a $25,000 Keno prize.
“As soon as I scanned the ticket I looked down at the screen and immediately said, ‘This has to be a joke,’ ” recalled the Anne Arundel County resident.
“Skins,” as he dubbed himself for his Lottery winner’s photo, said he agrees with those who say, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.” Even though he wasn’t winning, the 37-year-old never gave up and kept playing Lottery games. He is a regular player at Chesapeake Liquors in Glen Burnie because of the amazing and kind staff, he said, plus the convenience of its location by his favorite grocery store.
On the day he found his lucky win, “Skins” played a few tickets, decided to get one more ticket and then go to the grocery. He placed a 9-spot wager, letting the terminal quick pick his numbers, and left with his ticket. After finishing at the grocery store, the lucky player used his Lottery smartphone app to check the winning numbers on his last game of the day. What a shocker! He slowly matched number after number with the winning numbers.
In the blink of an eye, “Skins” realized he won, and won big. Filled with excitement, he wanted to check the ticket to make sure the $25,000 prize was not a dream. He returned to his Lottery retailer, scanned the ticket, verified his big win and signed the back of the ticket.
Most of his prize will go toward home renovations, “Skins” said. His favorite Lottery retailer, Chesapeake Liquors, also has reason to celebrate. For selling a winning Keno ticket of $10,000 or more, the store located at 6720 Governor Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie earns a bonus of $250 from the Lottery. The bonus is equal to 1 percent of the prize.