Before trekking across state lines for a job, a pair of Maryland construction workers made a quick stop.
The Frederick man bought coffee and doughnuts for them to share, while the Hagerstown man opted to buy each of them a $20 100X The Cash ticket at a Frederick convenience store, Maryland Lottery said in a July 18 news release.
After climbing into their work truck, the men tucked the tickets away under the visor, lottery officials said.
Once they arrived at the Virginia job site, the Hagerstown man got anxious.
“We pulled in and I said, ‘Let’s scratch these things,’” the man told lottery officials. “‘Let’s see if we can retire early.’”
To the man’s dismay, his ticket wasn’t a winner.
But then he looked at his co-worker; he was frozen, still clutching the scratch-off ticket.
“He goes ghost white and (says), ‘Did we win one million dollars?’” the man told lottery officials.
Sure enough, the pair won the game’s top prize of $1 million, as “the very last number in the last row matched a winning number.”
The Hagerstown man pounded the steering wheel out of excitement before leaping out of the truck.
“I screamed ‘woo’ and some random guys were walking by and they screamed, ‘woo’ too!’” the man told lottery officials.
The two men called their wives to share the exciting news, lottery officials said.
They also phoned one of their bosses, who gave them permission to take the remainder of the day off to enjoy 18 holes of golf to celebrate, lottery officials said.
The two, who plan to split the prize, already have plans for their big win.
The Frederick man told lottery officials he plans to spend some of his winnings paying bills and to save the rest for his son’s college fund.
His co-worker told lottery officials he will set aside a chunk of his winnings for retirement.
Some of it, however, he plans to use to “make good on a promise to his wife of several years.”
“I think I owe my wife a honeymoon,” the man said, per the release.
Frederick is about a 40-mile drive northwest from Baltimore.
Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.
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