NOTTINGHAM, MD—Lottery-mania is in the air as three winning scratch-off tickets were sold in eastern Baltimore County and the Mega Millions jackpot soars to $1.15 billion.

$100,000 Christmas Win Shocks Baltimore Man

They fully expected the holiday get-together with friends to be full of fun and laughter, a Baltimore man told Lottery officials this week. He and his wife were not prepared, however, for the shock and awe they also experienced there. A Snowflake Tripler scratch-off given to them as a gift made the night 100,000 times more memorable than they could ever have hoped.

It was a gathering they’ve enjoyed for years, and with people they see and talk and joke with all through the year. The wild card in this year’s event was the Maryland Lottery ticket they received as a gift.

“Our good friend gave each of us a ticket as a gift,” the retired automotive industry official told us. “Mine was a Snowflake Tripler scratch-off. I waited until my wife struck out with hers, then I started scratching.”

Seeing almost immediately what appeared to be a $10,000 match, the winner said to himself, ‘This can’t be right.’ It took him only a few seconds to uncover nine more matches, with prizes totaling $100,000. “I didn’t believe it. Just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

It turns out he was in good company – nobody else believed him either. Not his wife and especially not the friend who had given him the $10 ticket after purchasing at Bernie’s Liquors, located at 1414 Martin Boulevard in Middle River. The Baltimore man stepped away from the party for a few minutes to visit a Maryland Lottery retailer to confirm his suspicions.

“When I got back to the party,” he told officials, “The celebration went up a few notches.”

He tells us that in that crowd of friends and neighbors, nobody was happier for the couple than their friend, the gift giver.

Retired Golf Course Worker Sets Her Own Course with $100,000 Win

A lot of people enjoy working on crossword puzzles, but one retiree prefers a different type of crossword. The Essex resident is a big fan of Maryland Lottery crossword scratch-off games. The Baltimore County woman recently bought just one $10 $100,000 Crossword instant ticket and took home a $100,000 top prize.

Weis Markets, located at 165 Orville Road in Essex, is the winner’s store of choice. With $10 in change remaining after some recent grocery shopping, she said the Maryland Lottery kiosk was calling her name.

Once at the machine, she easily decided to purchase the $10 crossword scratch-off. The retiree couldn’t believe her eyes after she scratched the ticket at home. The lucky winner matched ten words which awards the $100,000 top prize. She then immediately called family and friends to share the news.

The winner currently has no plans for her winnings. For now, she is going to let it sink in and keep on enjoying retirement.

Mega Millions Jackpot reaches $1.15 Billion, $30K Winning Ticket Sold Dundalk

The Mega Millions jackpot continues to grow as there was no jackpot winner in Tuesday night’s drawing. However, some gifts were handed out from the Dec. 24 drawing including a $30,000-winning ticket purchased in Dundalk and three $10,000 third-tier winners sold in Bethesda, Glen Burnie and Lexington Park.

The winning numbers from Tuesday’s drawing were 11, 14, 38, 45 and 46 with a Mega Ball of 3 and a 3X Megaplier prize multiplier.

The $30,000 winner purchased their ticket at the Dundalk Royal Farms, located at 7701 German Hill Road in Baltimore County. The Dundalk player used the Megaplier to triple the third-tier prize to $30,000.

The $10,000 winning tickets were sold in Bethesda at the Montgomery Mall Shell at 10211 Westlake Drive in Montgomery County, the Glen Burnie winner was sold at Aquahart Liquors at 14 Aquahart Road in Anne Arundel County and the Lexington Park winner was sold at the Pegg Road Shell at 22141 Three Notch Road in St. Mary’s County.

The Dec. 24 drawing produced more than 101,000 winners in Maryland between $2 and $30,000.

A $1 million second-tier winning ticket from the Dec. 10 drawing remains unclaimed. That ticket was purchase at Wawa at 709 Belair Rd in Bel Air.

This Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot is the fifth-largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the ninth-largest U.S. jackpot ever. The Dec. 27 drawing has an estimated jackpot annuity of $1.15 billion with an estimated cash option of $516.1 million.

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