What started as a $100 prize ended up being a life-changing jackpot

A resident of Baltimore County, Maryland, told state lottery officials that he went out to pick up some ice on 22 August at Hob’s Carroll Motor Fuels in Sparrows Point. Noticing that he had an extra $20 in his pocket he decided to buy a $20 All About Cash scratch-off ticket with it, telling the clerk jokingly, “pick me a winner!”

He wasn’t disappointed when he scratched off the prize amount. “At first, I thought I won $100. Then I thought it was for $1,000. It kept going and going,” he shared when he collected his winnings.

“I just hit this sucker for one million bucks”

‘Tank’, an alias he used when claiming the prize, shared that when he got home, he scratched off all the numbers with his lucky pocketknife, which he used a few years ago on another ticket that won him $10,000.

Without seeing the prizes yet, he saw that he had a match on the number 27. That was a good omen for him as that number has special meaning in his family.

Upon removing the latex from the scratch-off ticket the final prize revealed was one million dollars. He called his wife and told her: “I just hit this sucker for one million bucks!”

The utility worker and avid boater didn’t stop there. He called up several friends and family members to share the news of his big win. He plans to use the prize money toward his retirement.

The first of five $1 million prizes

Maryland Lottery shared in a press release that Tank’s $1 million prize was the first to be won of the initial five on offer from the All About Cash game that went on sale 18 July. All four of the second tier $50,000 prizes are still unclaimed along with tens of thousands of prizes from $40 to $10,000.

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.