March 28 (UPI) — A Maryland woman said the futile search for a specific snack led to her winning a nearly $30,000 lottery jackpot.
The Randallstown woman told Maryland Lottery officials she had a strong craving for Cracker Jacks on Sunday so she visited the Arundel Mills Exxon in Hanover to try to find a box of the snacks.
The woman said she was unable to locate any Cracker Jacks, so she asked a manager for help.
While waiting for the manager to look, she decided to play the Racetrax virtual horse racing lottery game. She placed a Superfecta Box bet that the 8, 9, 10 and 12 horses would cross the finish line in the top four spots.
The woman said the manager confirmed the store did not carry Cracker Jacks, so she pocketed her Racetrax ticket and left the store.
The player said she later checked the ticket, but didn’t think it was a winner.
“I thought I missed it,” she recalled. “I sent a picture of the ticket to my son to check but I really thought I didn’t win.”
The woman’s son, who accompanied his mother to lottery headquarters, said he quickly realized his mother had made a mistake.
“I looked at the ticket and checked online and was confused,” he said. “I said, ‘What are you talking about, ma, you did win.'”
The woman scored a $29,313.30 prize, a decent consolation prize after not getting any Cracker Jacks.
The winner said two of her children have weddings coming up and her prize money will help make the days extra special.
