Top prize on 88 Fortunes game puts new house on lucky player’s horizon
Even after claiming her $50,000 88 Fortunes® prize, “Flying High” said the reality of her situation was still sinking in.
Thanks to a $50,000 scratch-off win, an engaged couple from Charles County can now start hunting for a new home sweet home.
“Flying High,” an Air Force veteran, found her $50,000 fortune with the 88 Fortunes® game. She had stopped by White Plains Wine and Spirits in Waldorf to pick up a bottle of wine and decided to add a scratch-off. She and her fiancé “semiregularly” play instant tickets, “Flying High” told Lottery officials.
The 32-year-old asked the store clerk about new instant tickets and was offered the choice of Deal Or No DealTM or 88 Fortunes®, which are both $5 scratch-offs. As she isn’t a fan of the “Deal or No Deal” TV show, “Flying High” bought the 88 Fortunes® scratch-off and a bottle of wine and headed home. She started chilling the wine and talking on the phone and almost forgot to play her scratch-off.
“Then, I remembered it! I got a quarter and started scratching. The first thing I scratched was a 5X” symbol, the lucky woman said. The $5,000 prize she found under that symbol gave her a $25,000 prize. The Waldorf resident went on to scratch five more $5,000 markers, giving her the total top prize of $50,000.
“I looked at it and said, ‘This is not a joke’ and I just started running around the house!” she said. To confirm her big win, “Flying High” downloaded the Maryland Lottery smartphone app and scanned the instant ticket. The app confirmed the prize so she called her fiancé at work to share the great news. “I was just sitting there at work and I couldn’t say anything!” he recalled. The big win accelerates their plan to buy a house together.
Meanwhile, White Plains Wine and Spirits at 4425 Crain Highway in White Plains shares in the luck of “Flying High.” The store picks up a retailer bonus of $500 from the Lottery for selling a top-prize winning scratch-off in the game.
Even after claiming her $50,000 88 Fortunes® prize, “Flying High” said the reality of her situation was still sinking in.
