GWYNN OAK, MD. – A Baltimore County man sent out to bring home pizza for his family ended the night with a meal he thought was too small, lottery tickets from a display he nearly dismissed — and, by the next morning, a $1 million surprise.
The Gwynn Oak man bought three $20 Extreme Green Scratch-Offs at the 7-Eleven at 9856 Liberty Road in Randallstown after becoming disappointed by the size of the pizza he’d picked up for dinner. He claimed the $1 million prize Aug. 31 at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
The winner told lottery officials that the windfall will allow him and his wife to become debt-free and pursue plans to open a business. The Randallstown 7-Eleven will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the top-prize ticket.
Key Points
- A Gwynn Oak man won $1 million on an Extreme Green Scratch-Off purchased during a pizza run.
- He initially doubted the 7-Eleven’s small Scratch-Off display would have any good tickets.
- The couple plans to eliminate their debt and open a business with the winnings.
Pizza Run Takes a Million-Dollar Turn
The unlikely chain of events started about two weeks before the prize was claimed, when the man’s wife sent him to try a new pizza restaurant for the family’s dinner.
He was immediately unimpressed by what he received.
“How am I going to feed everyone with this tiny pizza,” he recalled thinking. “It was supposed to be a large.”
Already annoyed, he drove away and spotted the 7-Eleven in Randallstown. He stopped to pick up Scratch-Off tickets, only to encounter another small package that failed to impress him: the store’s lottery ticket display.
“I’m looking like, ‘There’s probably no good scratch-offs in there, it’s so little,’” he told lottery officials.
He bought three Extreme Green tickets anyway, made several other stops and eventually returned home with his undersized pizza and the tickets.
Scanner Reveals a $1M Shock
The Gwynn Oak man waited until the following day to play his tickets before heading to work.
Rather than scratching every play area, he scratched the bottom portions and scanned the tickets. The final ticket produced a message telling him it was a $1 million winner.
“I thought something was wrong and scanned it several more times before it sunk in,” he told the Maryland Lottery.
He photographed the winning message and sent it to his wife before calling her. She recalled that her husband sounded “so nervous and giddy” that she stayed calm to help him settle down and get to work.
After work, he fully scratched the ticket to see how he had won. He then signed the back and gave it to his wife to secure in a safe.
Couple Plans to Wipe Out Debt, Start Business
The winner was still anxious in the days leading up to his trip to Maryland Lottery headquarters, according to the agency.
When he finally claimed the prize Aug. 31, he said becoming debt-free was what made him happiest about the $1 million windfall. He and his wife also intend to open a business.
The $20 Extreme Green game had four $1 million top prizes remaining when the Maryland Lottery announced the win.
The 7-Eleven that sold the ticket will also benefit from the unexpected pizza run, collecting a $1,000 retailer bonus.
Where was the $1 million Scratch-Off sold?
The winning Extreme Green ticket was purchased at the 7-Eleven at 9856 Liberty Road in Randallstown.
How did the Gwynn Oak man discover his $1 million win?
He scratched the bottom of his tickets and scanned them. After the final ticket displayed a $1 million winning message, he scanned it several more times before believing it.
What does the winner plan to do with the money?
He told Maryland Lottery officials that he and his wife plan to become debt-free and open a business.
Sources: Maryland Lottery winner announcement, Sept. 1, 2026; winner and spouse statements provided to Maryland Lottery officials.
