TEMPLE HILLS, Md. — A retired Washington, D.C., woman turned research into riches after winning a $250,000 top prize from a Maryland Lottery scratch-off game she picked based on remaining prize data.

The woman, who plays the lottery about once a week, said she uses the Maryland Lottery’s website to determine which games still have major prizes available. That approach led her to the $10 Money Bags scratch-off, a game that launched in February with five $250,000 top prizes, all of which were unclaimed when she checked.

“I use the Lottery’s website to see which games still have a lot of big prizes,” she told officials Wednesday. On Monday, she bought two Money Bags tickets at DMV Convenience & Wireless on Branch Avenue in Temple Hills and scratched them in her car. She immediately saw a $50,000 match.

She returned home to celebrate with her family, who then noticed she hadn’t fully scratched the ticket. After revealing four more $50,000 matches, her total hit $250,000 — the game’s first top-prize win.

Key points

D.C. woman won $250,000 after researching which scratch-offs still had top prizes
Her winning ticket came from DMV Convenience & Wireless in Temple Hills
The store received a $1,000 bonus for selling the top-prize ticket

DMV Convenience & Wireless, where the winning ticket was purchased, received a $1,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the prize-winning ticket.

The Money Bags scratch-off game still has four top prizes of $250,000 remaining, along with two $50,000 second-tier prizes and hundreds of thousands of smaller cash awards.

The winner, who asked to be referred to as “Ms. Money Bags,” said she plans to use the funds to pay bills, support her family, and save the rest.

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