Dad bought lottery ticket while getting ham for son’s lunch. He was ‘shocked’ by win

A father of two was waiting for his deli order at a market and decided to buy a scratch-off, Maryland officials said.

The man was waiting for ham at a grocery store in Perry Hall to make his son’s lunches when he bought a $10 lottery ticket, according to a July 10 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

The man with sons ages 15 and 9 was “shocked” to learn he had won $100,000, officials said.

“I look at it as a blessing,” he said, according to the lottery.

The dad told lottery officials he wanted to tell his story because he wants everyone to know how “blessed” and “lucky” he feels.

He won days before he claimed his prize on July 7 but wanted to get his winnings on a date that “has personal significance,” officials said. He claimed the money on the anniversary of his mom’s passing to have a “happy memory to go along with the sad memory.”

Although the man said the “$10 ticket pays for college,” he plans to use a portion of the winnings toward a “trip to Greece coming up for” his wife’s birthday, the winner told lottery officials.

Perry Hall is about 20 miles northeast of Baltimore.

This story was originally published July 10, 2023 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Dad bought lottery ticket while getting ham for son’s lunch. He was ‘shocked’ by win."