Dec. 27 (UPI) — A Maryland man received a scratch-off lottery ticket as a Christmas stocking stuffer and ended up winning a $30,000 prize.
The Thurmont man told Maryland Lottery officials he and his best friend have a Christmas tradition of giving each other scratch-off tickets.
“We’ve been buying each other scratch-off tickets as Christmas gifts for years. We always get a winner or two, but nothing like this,” he said.
The player said he and his friend always gather on Christmas Eve to exchange and scratch off their tickets.
“We both love to play, so it’s become a fun part of the holiday,” he said. “And we always include some of the holiday games.”
This year’s gift, a Peppermint Payout Multiplier ticket, earned the man a $30,000 prize.
“I figured that I’d done something wrong. There was no way I could believe that I was holding $30,000 in my hands,” the winner recalled. “We started yelling and didn’t stop for quite a while.”
The winner said he plans to use his prize money to get out of debt.
“It’ll be great not having it hanging over my head anymore,” he said.
