NOTTINGHAM, MD—Survey says…”WINNER!”

A 56-year-old Nottingham woman is celebrating a $50,000 top-prize win on the Maryland Lottery’s new FAMILY FEUD® scratch-off. The lucky player is the first to claim a top prize in the $5 game that went on sale April 18.

The retired U.S. Postal Service worker was on her way to the grocery store on Tuesday when she decided to first stop across the street at a 7-Eleven in Nottingham to buy scratch-offs. She had $10 in cash and decided on two of the $5 FAMILY FEUD tickets because it’s a new game.

“I went to my car and scratched the games,” said the Nottingham resident. “I was trying to understand the game, you know, because it’s new.”

Uncertain if she won, the scratch-off fan went back into 7-Eleven to scan her tickets. Sure enough, a “Congratulations” message appeared for one game saying she won $50,000.

“I was expecting $500 or something, not $50,000,” the winner said. “I was just very shocked.”

The mother of two adult children and grandmother of four put her lucky scratch-off in her purse. She did her grocery shopping and then headed home. The lucky lady wanted to surprise her husband with the news but wasn’t sure how to go about it. Later in the day, when they had to run more errands, she thought of a clever way to tell him.

“I wrote, ‘I won $50,000’ on a piece of paper and held it up to him when he got in the car,” she said, smiling.

“I wasn’t too surprised,” said the winner’s husband, who accompanied her to Lottery headquarters to claim the prize. “I was more concerned that she had left the ticket in the car!”

The winner told Maryland Lottery officials that she plans to pay bills with her prize and renovate their kitchen.

Also celebrating is the retailer where the avid player purchased the winning scratch-off. The 7-Eleven located at 4139 East Joppa Road in Nottingham (21236) will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for its role in selling a $50,000 top prize-winning scratch-off.

Photo via Pexels