A Silver Spring man plans to buy his mother a new home after winning $500,000 from a scratch-off ticket. The Montgomery County resident, a lawncare specialist, bought the winning Bonus Bingo X20 ticket on his lunch break last week. “I paid for my food and soda and saw that I had $20 left in my wallet,” he told lottery officials. “So I decided to splurge on a $20 ticket.” Later that evening, he scratched the ticket and scanned it using a family member’s Lottery app.
“I’ve had some good wins with scratch-off tickets, even $1,000 once,” he said. “But this was beyond anything I ever thought could happen.”
His first thought wasn’t about himself — it was about helping his mom. The winner told Lottery officials that he thanked God — not for the money, but for the chance to take care of his mother. He called the win a blessing and said he plans to buy his mother the home of her dreams. He also hinted at using the money to start his own grounds keeping business.
The winning ticket came from Long Branch Beer & Wine at 649 University Boulevard East in Silver Spring. The store will receive a $1,000 bonus for selling the top-prize ticket. Bonus Bingo X20 launched in January. Four more $500,000 top prizes remain, along with five $50,000 second-tier prizes.
