A newly minted Maryland Lottery millionaire is truly thankful for his eye for details. This spring, the Eastern Shore construction worker discovered a $1 million winning scratch-off after seeing a familiar number and acting on a gut feeling.
The 45-year-old tradesman told Lottery officials that his newfound fortune arrived when he purchased a pair of Lucky 777 scratch-offs. The Dorchester County resident and a co-worker had stopped at Springdale Food Mart for gas on the way to a job site. He was immediately drawn to the Lucky 777 game on display because he had just received an invoice from a customer that totaled $777.06.
“That stuck in my mind and I was thinking that I’d play that number, but when I saw the scratch-off, I decided to get some of those instead,” he explained.
He and his co-worker discovered his Lottery win soon after they hit the road.
“I asked him to scratch the tickets for me while I drove, and, soon after, he just turned and looked at me like I was stupid,” the winner said. “I pulled over to take a look and that’s when I knew I had won.”
The anonymous winner said the $1 million prize will go into family savings. He plans to use the funds to help his children afford their education and getting started on a life of their own.
The Lucky 777 scratch-off went on sale in May 2020, offering players chances to win prizes from $20 to $1 million. There are now two $1 million top prizes remaining on the popular $20 scratch-off along with four unclaimed $50,000 prizes and 56 $10,000 prizes.
Springdale Food Mart located at 5703 Mt. Holly Road in East New Market earns a bonus for its role in the millionaire’s story. For selling a $1 million top-prize winning scratch-off, the Dorchester County business earned a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.