TOWSON, MD—He has bought scratch-offs for a long, long, time, a Baltimore man told Maryland Lottery officials, hoping but never really expecting to hit it big. That hope was met and that expectation squashed last weekend when a Big Cash Riches instant ticket worth $100,000 found its way into his life.

“I picked out several different tickets, mostly ones I’d had luck with in the past and then a few for their big top prizes,” said the 61-year-old painter. The $10 Big Cash Riches game he purchased fell into the latter group.

“I scratched them over the next couple of days, had about $300 in winnings and took them in to get the cash.”

That $300 in estimated winnings was off by a lot of zeros.

“When I handed the guy this one, he looked at it and told me that he couldn’t cash the ticket. When I figured out why, I was shocked.”

The city resident said his work often comes with lengthy waits between jobs.

“I’ve had a few potential projects not pan out recently, so paying the bills has been a concern. No longer.”

E-Z Convenience at 8104 Loch Raven Boulevard, which sold the lucky ticket, will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling a $100,000 top-prize winning ticket.

Photo via Pexels