Couple Wins $250,000 in Maryland Lottery Scratch-Off Game

Baltimore, MD — A Baltimore County truck driver and his wife won $250,000 in the Maryland Lottery while shopping for groceries. Paul and Gelila, who play the lottery occasionally, purchased a $10 Money Bags scratch-off ticket at Food Lion on June 2.

“I’m still not believing this is real,” Paul said after claiming the prize at Maryland Lottery Headquarters. The unexpected windfall came as they debated whether to buy a lottery ticket while rushing through their shopping list.

According to Paul, they initially ignored the Lottery vending machine but decided to double back. “My wife picked the first ticket she saw, and it turned out to be a winner,” he added.

The Money Bags game was launched in February, and Paul noted that he could not fathom how much they had won initially. “I guessed $500, which is the most I’d ever won, and my wife just kept pointing up,” he recounted.

The couple plans to use their winnings to settle bills and start home improvement projects, with some left over for enjoyment. “We should still have plenty left over to find something fun to do,” Paul said.

Maryland Lottery officials reported that there are still three $250,000 top prizes remaining in the Money Bags game, alongside two second-tier prizes of $50,000 and 12 third-tier prizes of $10,000.

The Baltimore County store where they purchased their ticket, located at 7514 North Point Road, received a $1,000 bonus for selling the top-prize winner.