ESSEX, Maryland. In addition to expediting her retirement plans, a Maryland Lottery player from Essex won the $5 million top prize on a $50 scratch-off ticket, making it the first jackpot won in the $5,000,000 Fortune game.
At Maryland Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, the winner, who had intended to retire at the end of the summer, would now retire earlier after accepting the windfall on June 24. Back River Exxon, 100 Back River Neck Road, Essex, is where she bought the $50 scratch-off.
She saw a stack of cash symbol in the Your Numbers section, which signified an automatic victory in the game, when the winning numbers were revealed. She scanned the QR code, anticipating a $50,000 award, only to discover that the real prize was $5 million.
After debating whether or not to play the game, the Essex resident ultimately chose to buy the $50 ticket while she was out to lunch at her neighborhood grocery.
Essex gas station sold a $5 million ticket.
The player called family members after receiving confirmation of the victory before going to pick up the prize. She intends to utilize the funds to support relatives, give to her faith community, buy a house, and buy cars for herself and her daughter. With intentions to withdraw just from the revenue earned, the remaining winnings will be invested.
The Maryland Lottery will give a $5,000 incentive to the Back River Exxon that sold the winning ticket. There are still two unclaimed $5 million prizes from the $5,000,000 Fortune game, but this is the first top-tier prize to be claimed. Eight of the nine $50,000 prizes and six of the nine $100,000 prizes were still unclaimed as of June 24.
Tens of thousands of extra prizes, ranging from $50 to $10,000, are available in the $50 game.
