Fallston man wins $50,000 in Maryland Lottery second-chance holiday drawing
FALLSTON, MD — A Fallston resident is starting 2026 with an unexpected windfall after being selected as the $50,000 grand prize winner in the Maryland Lottery’s 2025 Holiday second-chance promotion.
John Hammel, 62, a retired property manager, received a congratulatory email notifying him of the prize. Initially uncertain, he checked the Maryland Lottery website and confirmed his name was listed as the grand prize winner. He plans to use a portion of the money on a home improvement project and is undecided on how to use the rest of the prize.
Hammel had previously won several smaller amounts from Holiday-themed scratch-off tickets. He entered his non-winning tickets into the My Lottery Rewards promotion, which ran from October 17 through January 12.
The Holiday second-chance promotion also awarded 47 additional winners with $5,000 prizes and included six Cash and Dash Shopping Spree winners. Each of those winners received a four-day, three-night trip to Chicago, which included a timed dash through a warehouse to collect merchandise.
While the Holiday promotion has ended, the Maryland Lottery is continuing other My Lottery Rewards promotions. These include “X the Cash,” offering second-chance prizes up to $75,000, and “Keno Team USA,” awarding VIP trips to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Key Points
• Fallston man John Hammel won $50,000 in the Maryland Lottery’s 2025 Holiday second-chance promotion
• The promotion accepted non-winning Holiday scratch-offs from October 17 to January 12
• Maryland Lottery continues to offer second-chance promotions with cash and trip prizes
