A Mechanicsville woman thought she had won $25,000 until her husband spotted something on the ticket that doubled her prize.
MECHANICSVILLE, MD – A Maryland woman who has been playing the lottery for less than a year turned a $5 scratch-off win into a $50,000 payday after making one more purchase during a hectic day. But the biggest surprise came when she got home and her husband discovered that her winning ticket was worth twice what she initially thought.
The St. Mary’s County resident claimed her $50,000 top prize Friday, October 16, at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, with her husband by her side. The winning ticket was a $5 In the Green scratch-off purchased at USA Fuel, located at 20815 Callaway Village Way in Callaway.
The woman originally believed she had won $25,000 after scanning the ticket and receiving a message directing her to Lottery officials. It wasn’t until her husband examined the ticket more closely that the couple discovered a 2X multiplier had doubled the prize to $50,000.
A $5 Win Leads to a Much Bigger Lottery Surprise
According to the Maryland Lottery, the Mechanicsville woman has been playing lottery games for less than a year.
She enjoys scratch-offs as a form of entertainment and occasionally purchases tickets for the possibility of winning extra money.
On the day of her big win, she had several things to do and decided to pick up a handful of scratch-off tickets while running errands.
Those initial purchases produced a $5 prize.
Instead of keeping the money, she used the winnings to buy another ticket from In the Green, a game she had recently come to enjoy.
That decision turned her original $5 win into a much larger prize.
When she scanned the new ticket, the lottery terminal displayed a message telling her to visit the Maryland Lottery.
The message read, “Winner, go to Lottery.”
She realized she had won a significant prize and initially believed the ticket was worth $25,000.
But she had overlooked one important detail.
Husband Spots Multiplier That Doubles Prize to $50K
After returning home, the woman shared the news with her husband.
He examined the scratch-off ticket and noticed a 2X prize multiplier that she had missed.
That multiplier doubled the $25,000 amount to $50,000, giving the woman one of the game’s top prizes.
“I was shocked,” she told Maryland Lottery officials.
The discovery transformed an already exciting win into an even bigger surprise for the couple.
The woman later traveled to Baltimore to claim the prize, accompanied by her husband.
She told Lottery officials that she had not yet decided how to use the $50,000.
Despite the unexpected windfall, she plans to continue playing lottery games.
“You have to play to win, right?” she said, repeating the familiar lottery slogan.
Callaway Gas Station Collects Bonus for Winning Ticket
The ticket was sold at USA Fuel, located at 20815 Callaway Village Way in Callaway, St. Mary’s County.
The retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the top-prize-winning scratch-off.
The In the Green game costs $5 per ticket and offers a $50,000 top prize, which the Mechanicsville woman captured through the multiplier on her ticket.
The Maryland Lottery included the win in its latest statewide roundup of major prizes for the October 12–18 period.
During that week, 44 tickets worth at least $10,000 were sold throughout Maryland, with total winnings across all games exceeding $31.3 million.
The Mechanicsville woman’s experience stands out because she had been playing for less than a year and used a $5 prize from an earlier purchase to buy the winning ticket.
For a player who started the day juggling errands and other responsibilities, the final result was a $50,000 prize and a surprise that even required a second look.
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