NOTTINGHAM, MD—There were a couple of big lottery wins in northeastern Baltimore County and southern Harford County over the past few weeks.

A husband and wife from Parkville found their biggest win ever last weekend. Their $50,000 Millionaire’s Club instant ticket win came about as they attempted to use a gift they received for Christmas.

“It was a car wash gift certificate,” said one half of the excited pair. The federal employee told Maryland Lottery officials they received the gift of “a top-to-bottom car wash with all the bells and whistles.”

On the way to the long overdue car cleanse in the city, the other half of the team —a general contractor — recognized a gas station where he’d once bought a Pick 4 ticket that had delivered a nice prize. That’s what brought the Baltimore County pair to Canton BP, located at 4700 O’Donnell Street in Baltimore.

“We buy tickets three or four times a week, and the place had been lucky for us,” they explained, “so we stopped in.” The couple had found success recently with Millionaire’s Club, which is a $20 ticket with a $1 million top prize. That history made the scratch-off game the perfect choice when they saw it was available.

Asked for their reaction to the $50,000 win, the husband said, “To say we were shocked would be an understatement. My heart really picked up steam, and you should have seen the look on my wife’s face.”

Meanwhile, a Joppa man is a big fan of Mega Millions, Powerball, and particularly Cash4life. His luck had led only to a few small wins until the retired maritime employee reeled in a $1,000-a-week-for-life Cash4life prize on New Year’s Eve.

He is charting new waters in 2025, thanks to the quick-pick ticket he bought at Edgewood Liquors, Grocery & Deli located at 2200 Philadelphia Road in Edgewood.

The Harford County resident bought a single ticket for the drawing and was later surprised to learn that he matched five of the winning numbers, earning him a $1,000-a-week-for-life prize. He was only one number off from the Cash Ball, having played a three instead of a two. Matching the Cash Ball in addition to the five white balls would have given him the top prize of $1,000 a day for life.

The lucky winner opted for the $1 million lump sum as opposed to annuity payments. He told Maryland Lottery officials that if he were younger, he would have taken the annuity option. The winner, who worked for a maritime company for 28 years before retiring, plans to use his windfall to pay off the mortgage on his home.

When he’s not playing Maryland Lottery games, the loyal player enjoys spending time with family members and going to car shows.

Photo via Pixabay