Per the Maryland Lottery: “It’s that time of year when everyone is looking for the perfect gift. Maryland Lottery tickets — especially our holiday-themed scratch-offs — make great presents. But as you’re going over your gift list, keep in mind that Lottery tickets aren’t for children under the age of 18.

The Maryland Lottery strongly supports the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) in its Gift Responsibly Campaign, which raises awareness on the risks associated with underage gambling. NCPG previously sponsored an annual effort during the holiday season to remind Lottery players not to give tickets to children. The effort has been rebranded as the Gift Responsibly Campaign and offers messaging throughout the year.


“I like playing the Lottery because I’m usually at home by myself with the ferrets and they don’t talk too much,” he said. Donnie and his wife work with Nirvana Ridge Ferret Rescue in Virginia. He says the operation will receive part of the proceeds of his Lottery win. The winner, who lives in a very small town, said he purchased the lucky Money Explosion instant ticket at Olney Shell gas station at 18040 Georgia Avenue in Olney. The Money Explosion game has a top prize of $1 million. Two of those top prizes remain unclaimed as of Dec. 1 and two of the original eight $50,000 second-tier prizes also are unclaimed after Donnie’s score.


A Silver Spring woman is $50,000 richer after purchasing a Family Feud scratch-off at Kemp Mill Beer, Wine & Deli at 1339 Lamberton Drive in Silver Spring.  The lucky winner claimed her prize this week after forgetting where she had hid the winning ticket in her home several months back. Full story below courtesy of the Maryland Lottery:

Talk about feeling relieved! A 41-year-old Montgomery County player thought she was running out of time to claim a $50,000 prize on the FAMILY FEUD® scratch-off game. Even worse, she couldn’t remember where she hid the lucky instant ticket many months ago.


Per the Maryland Lottery: He buys Powerball tickets frequently, a Virginia truck driver told lottery officials. Maryland Lottery officials, that is! It turns out that a $50,000 portion of the jackpot he’d been seeking in both states was waiting for him on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. “Like everybody else, I had been buying Powerball tickets back home as the jackpot kept getting bigger,” said the 35-year-old. The resident of Lorton, Virginia, purchased his $50,000-winning ticket back in October, more than a week before the Powerball jackpot reached its record-breaking total of $2.04 billion.


Per the Maryland Lottery: A Takoma Park man who purchased a Powerball ticket in the historic Nov. 7 drawing came up $50,004 richer, missing the $2.04 billion jackpot win by only one number. The 70-year-old came into Maryland Lottery headquarters with a great big smile and left still thinking about how he would spend his prize. He was one of eight Marylanders who won third-tier prizes in the drawing, which also generated a $1 million prize for another player in the state.

His lucky Lottery retailer was Check Cash Depot #004 located at 8476 Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring. There’s still time to get tickets for the next Powerball drawing on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The estimated jackpot annuity is $65 million with an estimated cash value of $33.7 million.


A Silver Spring couple that claimed a winning scratch-off lottery ticket worth $100,000 were among the biggest winners last week, according to the Maryland Lottery.  The couple purchased the $30 $100,000 Extreme Cash scratch off from the Exxon gas station at 8384 Colesville Road in Silver Spring.  Additional details about winners across the state below, courtesy of MD Lottery:

Two Maryland Lottery players claimed prizes of $100,000 each last week on tickets sold in Annapolis and Silver Spring. Meanwhile, another 11 tickets worth $50,000 each were sold last week in Baltimore, Bladensburg, Bowie (2), Dundalk (2), Fort Washington, Parkville and Suitland (3). In all, 29 tickets across Maryland delivered prizes of $10,000 or more during the seven days ending Nov. 27, and the Maryland Lottery paid more than $27.6 million in prizes during that span.


While claiming the prize Nov. 21 at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, the two said they had not made any plans for a celebration yet because the win still didn’t feel real. Both are regular players and have won smaller prizes before, including a few $800 hits on Pick 5, but nothing like their $100,000 top-prize scratch-off score. Even so, asked about whether they would continue playing, the husband said, “Of course. I want big money!” His wife added, “He’s looking for millions!”

On the market since Sept. 21, 2020, $100,000 Extreme Cash remains a popular game. It logs in at the No. 19 spot on the Maryland Lottery Top 40 Scratch-Offs list, despite more than 91 percent of all available tickets being sold. Even so, 12 of the game’s initial 64 top prizes at the $100,000 level remain unclaimed.


Per the State of Maryland: Governor Larry Hogan today announced the formal launch of online sports betting in the State of Maryland. Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 23 at 9 A.M., seven sportsbooks will go live across the state. The governor was joined for today’s announcement by the director of the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, John A. Martin.

“This process took longer than it should have, but we are excited that this launch is in time for fans to place their bets on all the Thanksgiving Day NFL action, college football rivalry weekend, this week’s slate of NBA games, the 2022 World Cup, and this Sunday’s Ravens and Commanders games,” said Governor Hogan. “In addition to allowing Marylanders to bet on the NFL, March Madness, and so much more, sports betting is helping us keep these critical dollars in the state, and is providing another critical revenue source for Maryland schools. It is anticipated to bring in up to $30 million in revenue next year, and that total is expected to reach nearly $100 million by 2027.”


“I thought it was a mistake,” he said. However, it was the real thing: a top-prize win on the $5 Power Spot Multiplier game. His previous personal-best Lottery scores were in the $250 to $1,000 range. The Montgomery County man plans to share his winnings with his wife and adult children, coordinate a celebration dinner and pay some bills with his prize. After that, he plans to keep playing Lottery games, focusing, as always, on scratch-offs. He says they have “more luck.”

Sharing in the winner’s scratch-off fun is 7-Eleven #22921 at 8101 Fenton Street in Silver Spring. The Montgomery County store management earns a bonus of $500, equal to 1% of the prize, from the Lottery for selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off.


A Silver Spring man is $50,000 richer after purchasing a winning lottery ticket for the November 5 Powerball drawing at the Upper Marlboro Xtra Fuel at 15009 Marlboro Pike in Prince George’s County. Full story below courtesy of the Maryland Lottery:

Charlie Ayoub is a Powerball fan who plays the game two to three times a week. His loyalty and persistence paid off on Nov. 5, when the Montgomery County resident won $50,000 with a $2 quick-pick ticket.“I have been playing both Powerball and Mega Millions for about 15 to 20 years. I like to play the games with the bigger prizes,” Charlie explained.


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