BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore City woman struck gold on a sick day after revealing a $5 million top prize from a $5,000,000 Cash scratch-off ticket purchased at a local Safeway.
Key Points
- Baltimore woman wins $5 million on a scratch-off ticket while home sick with a sinus infection
- Winning ticket was purchased at the Safeway on Harford Road using prior Keno winnings
- Winner, calling herself “Sleepless Flower Girl,” plans to buy a home and invest for her family’s future
Sick day leads to life-changing moment
The winner, a federal employee who requested anonymity under the nickname “Sleepless Flower Girl,” claimed the prize this week at Maryland Lottery headquarters. She said she had taken a sick day on April 10 and decided to visit the Safeway on Harford Road to pick up ingredients for a smoothie and cash a $120-winning Keno ticket. Using those funds, she purchased several more tickets, including the $50 scratch-off that would ultimately change her life.
Upon returning home, she scanned the tickets using the Lottery’s mobile app. When she reached the last one, a congratulatory message and virtual confetti burst on her phone screen.
“I saw the message and the confetti pop up, but I couldn’t tell if it was $5,000 or $5 million,” she said.
Shock and celebration at home
After scanning the ticket repeatedly in disbelief, the woman contacted her mother, who rushed home to help verify the win. The mother said she was alarmed by the call, but soon joined in the celebration when she saw the figures on the screen.
Still unsure, “Sleepless Flower Girl” scratched the full ticket and finally saw her number match with the $5 million prize. “It was like my eyes were playing tricks on me,” she told Lottery officials.
The win left her so stunned that she couldn’t sleep before officially claiming her prize the next day.
Big plans for the future
Now a multimillionaire, the woman said she plans to purchase a home and begin investing her winnings to build long-term security for her family, including her son. She said her primary goal is to create generational wealth.
The winning ticket was sold at the Safeway located at 4401 Harford Road. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus for selling the top-prize ticket. The $5,000,000 Cash scratch-off game still has two top prizes remaining, along with several other high-tier prizes.
