Cumberland man’s forgotten scratch-off turned into a life-changing prize
CRESAPTOWN, MD — A Cumberland man came within moments of giving away a $50,000-winning Maryland Lottery scratch-off ticket to settle a $40 debt before his wife stepped in and stopped him, turning what could have been a costly mistake into a memorable payday.
John Hamilton Jr., an Air Force veteran from Cumberland, purchased a single $50 $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off on Thursday, July 3, at the Sheetz located at 14606 McMullen Highway in Cresaptown.
After buying the ticket, Hamilton folded it, placed it in his back pocket and forgot about it.
The following day, he ran into a friend he owed $40 and remembered the unscratched ticket. Hamilton said he offered the scratch-off to his friend to settle the debt.
According to the Maryland Lottery, Hamilton warned his friend that the ticket “could be something.”
Before the exchange could happen, Hamilton’s wife intervened.
“She put her hand between us and intercepted the play,” Hamilton said. “That’s when I thought I should play it and see if it really was a winner.”
Hamilton returned to his car and began scratching the ticket. After revealing several winning combinations, he went back inside the Sheetz and asked a cashier to look at the ticket.
He continued scratching the game before asking the cashier to scan it.
The ticket was confirmed as a $50,000 third-tier winner.
“I was dumbfounded,” Hamilton said after claiming his prize Tuesday, July 21, at Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore.
Hamilton said he immediately called his wife because, without her intervention, he would have handed the winning ticket to his friend.
According to the Maryland Lottery, Hamilton plans to use the winnings to take his three youngest children on a Disney cruise and pay down his mortgage.
The retailer that sold the winning ticket was Sheetz at 14606 McMullen Highway in Cresaptown.
The $50 $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off launched in February with three $5 million top prizes. Maryland Lottery officials said two top prizes remain, along with eight $200,000 prizes, nine additional $50,000 prizes and numerous prizes ranging from $50 to $10,000.
Key Points
- A Cumberland man nearly gave away a $50,000-winning scratch-off to repay a $40 debt.
- His wife stopped him before he handed the ticket to a friend.
- The winning $5,000,000 LUXE ticket was purchased at a Sheetz in Cresaptown.
