Lottery scratch off tickets
Lottery Scratch Off Tickets

Beginner’s Luck! Maryland man wins $100,000 on first-ever scratch-off ticket

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1 min read
February 27, 2025

BALTIMORE, Md. – A Baltimore man who rarely plays the lottery struck gold with his first-ever scratch-off ticket, winning a $100,000 top prize on the Maryland Lottery’s $100,000 Crossword 8th Edition game.

The winner, who was grocery shopping with friends at Omega Grocery & Market, initially had no plans to play until a friend’s uncle encouraged him to buy a ticket. “He told me to play anyway,” the man recalled. “I didn’t even know how to play it.”

After purchasing the ticket, he attempted to scan it at the store, but a scanning error left him unsure of the result. He took the ticket home, scratched it off, and later realized—after checking with friends—that he had matched 10 words, securing the game’s top prize.

“I had to step outside for a minute,” he said after confirming the win at a second Lottery retailer. “I don’t normally freak out, but I did this time.”

The winner, who plans to save his winnings, bought the lucky ticket at Omega Grocery & Market, which will receive a $1,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling a top-prize scratch-off.

The unexpected win turned a routine grocery trip into a life-changing moment.

Phil Stilton

Phil Stilton is the Editor and Publisher of Shore News Network, an independent digital newsroom providing original reporting on New Jersey, national news, government, public policy, public safety, courts, and community affairs.

As founder of the publication, Stilton leads editorial strategy, investigative reporting, and daily newsroom operations while overseeing coverage that reaches millions of readers annually.

With extensive experience covering municipal government, county government, state legislatures, elections, law enforcement, emergency management, and public records, Stilton specializes in translating complex government actions into clear, factual reporting. His work frequently relies on primary source documents, including court filings, legislation, public meeting records, election finance disclosures, government databases, police reports, and Freedom of Information and Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. He has reported extensively on local government accountability, taxpayer spending, campaign finance, public corruption investigations, infrastructure, public safety, and the policies affecting New Jersey residents.

Under Stilton's editorial leadership, Shore News Network has grown into one of New Jersey's largest independent digital news organizations, publishing thousands of original news articles each year while providing breaking news coverage, investigative reporting, and analysis across state and local government. The publication's reporting is routinely sourced from official government agencies, public officials, court records, and firsthand documentation, with a commitment to transparency, attribution, corrections when warranted, and clearly distinguishing factual reporting from opinion.

Stilton's journalism follows established newsroom standards emphasizing accuracy, verification, fairness, and accountability. Every effort is made to verify information through official records and multiple reliable sources before publication. His reporting is intended to provide readers with timely, well-documented information that helps them understand the issues affecting their communities, while maintaining editorial independence from political parties, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and commercial interests.

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