“Mamba” of Prince George’s County almost tossed away $50,000 won on a Gold X20 scratch-off, thinking the instant ticket failed to contain a prize. But a last-minute check of the $5 game saved the day as well as his top prize.
The Southern Maryland man, using the nickname “Mamba” to tell the story of his close call, said the saga began when he and his wife went to buy gas at Wawa #584 in La Plata. “Mamba” also purchased about $30 worth of scratch-offs.
“I had a few bucks in my pocket and I decided to play,” he said.
Next, he and his wife went home to scratch off the games and check for any winners. The Temple Hills pair created two piles of scratch-offs. A winning instant ticket went in one pile and non-winners in another stack.
During the sorting process, 22-year-old “Mamba” looked around and saw another instant ticket off by itself. The Gold X20 game was already scratched and, although they thought it was a non-winner, they decided to check for a prize before putting it in the trash.
“We were going to throw the ticket away. We are lucky we didn’t!” Mambo said.
Mambo won the game’s fifth of nine $50,000 top prizes. The lucky winner, who works in sales, said he and his wife will use their new fortune to help purchase a house.
“We were both deciding if we should try to get a house in this tough market. We will get one now,” he said with a smile.
The St. Mary’s County Wawa also benefits. The store located at 5955 Crain Highway in La Plata will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.
