Painter thought he won $10k in Maryland lottery — his prize was actually much bigger
A painter from Middletown, Delaware was recently reviewing his family’s finances when he experienced something strange.
An image of a Royal Farms convenience store in Elkton, Maryland, appeared in the 47-year-old’s head — and it wouldn’t go away, he told Maryland lottery officials in a March 14 news release.
“It wasn’t just any Royal Farms, it was the one on Pulaski Highway in Elkton,” he told lottery officials. “I drive by it sometimes, but have zero connection to it past that.”
The vision wouldn’t leave the man’s mind, so he got off his couch and headed to the store, according to the release.
“I was trying to make sense of this thing as I drove and couldn’t, until I thought of the Lottery,” the man told officials, simultaneously insisting that he is “not a lottery player.”
When he got to the store, the man got a sense that he should purchase a scratch-off ticket, officials said.
“It didn’t feel like I was supposed to wait for a drawing,” he said.
He grabbed two $50 50 Years! scratch-off tickets and started scratching in the store, officials said. That’s when he saw his prize.
“I saw what I thought was a $10,000 winner, it was a real stunner,” the winner told officials.
More than a week later, the man took his winning ticket to a larger store in hopes of cashing it. Instead, he learned his prize was even bigger than he thought.
“While I was there, the clerk helped me figure out that I’d misread one of the prize symbols. The ticket was a $50,000 winner,” the man told officials. “You should have seen my wife’s face when I got home!”
Middletown, Delaware, is about 20 miles southeast of Elkton, Maryland — which is about 55 miles northeast of Baltimore.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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