A retired recruiter thought she was seeing things when a routine Lottery purchase turned into a $500K jackpot at her favorite Silver Spring store
Baltimore, MD — A Silver Spring woman who once considered a $500 Lottery prize her biggest win ever is celebrating a life-changing $500K scratch-off jackpot after a ticket purchased at her longtime favorite store delivered the surprise of a lifetime.
The Montgomery County resident claimed a $500K top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s Gifts of Green scratch-off game after purchasing the winning ticket at the Giant grocery store located at 11221 New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring.
The retired recruiter said she has been buying Lottery tickets at the store for years because she considered it her lucky location.
That belief paid off in a big way when she purchased a Gifts of Green scratch-off during a recent shopping trip.
According to the winner, she traditionally played $5 and $10 scratch-offs but began occasionally buying higher-priced tickets after overhearing another player say, “You have to play big to win big.”
Her decision to include a $20 Gifts of Green ticket in her purchase ultimately led to the game’s top prize.
After returning home, she scratched the ticket and immediately questioned whether she was reading it correctly.
The winner said she sent photos of the ticket to family members, who helped confirm what she was seeing.
One relative even asked whether she had put on her glasses before checking the ticket.
She responded that she had checked it with two different pairs.
Lottery officials said the winning ticket was the fourth of seven top prizes available in the Gifts of Green game.
The Giant store that sold the winning ticket will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery.
Gifts of Green debuted in October and still has three remaining $500K top prizes available, along with two unclaimed second-tier prizes worth $25,000.
Key Points
- A Silver Spring woman won a $500K top prize playing the Gifts of Green scratch-off.
- The winning ticket was purchased at Giant on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring.
- The retailer will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.
