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Lucky lottery player wins big — again. ‘I really can’t believe this happened’

A Maryland lottery player won $50,000, lottery officials said.
A Maryland lottery player won $50,000, lottery officials said. Getty Images/iStockphoto

A heavy equipment operator in Maryland won big with a scratch-off ticket — and it’s not the first time he’s collected a lottery windfall.

The man won $50,000 about a decade ago and then “scratched his way to a $50,000 top prize” with a Cash to Go ticket purchased July 5, Maryland Lottery officials said in a July 8 news release.

“I really can’t believe this happened. I shouldn’t be here,” he told lottery officials. “The odds against it happening once are so huge, but for it to happen again?”

The man, from Silver Spring, bought his latest winning ticket at a Takoma Park convenience store.

Scratch-offs are a favorite hobby of his, and he picked the $5 Cash to Go game because it’s been lucky for him, lottery officials said.

When he scratched his top prize winner, “he sat motionless for several minutes,” lottery officials said.

“I knew it was real right away, but I just couldn’t understand how it was possible,” the man said, per the release.

Cash to Go debuted last year with seven top prizes, lottery officials said, noting one now remains, along with four second-tier winners.

Silver Spring is about a 35-mile drive southwest from Baltimore.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

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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This story was originally published July 8, 2025 at 12:07 PM with the headline "Lucky lottery player wins big — again. ‘I really can’t believe this happened’."

Sara Schilling
mcclatchy-newsroom
Sara Schilling is a former journalist for mcclatchy-newsroom
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