Lottery player about to toss tickets gives them another glance — and it pays off

Elektra Long was about to toss a couple lottery tickets in the trash when she took a second look — then a third.

That’s when she realized she had almost thrown away $100,000.

The Prince George’s County woman won the top prize on a Snow Globe 7s scratch-off ticket, the Maryland Lottery said in a Dec. 28 news release.

Long almost didn’t buy the tickets to begin with, officials said.

The 52-year-old prefers to buy the first two in the book at the store she frequents, officials said, and there were only two tickets left. But she decided to purchase them after remembering the store clerk stocks the case from the back to the front, so the two remaining Snow Globe 7s tickets were actually the first.

When she was getting ready to toss the tickets, thinking they were non-winners, she decided to take another glance.

She told lottery officials she was grateful she didn’t throw the winning ticket in the trash.

Long is a paralegal for the U.S. Air Force and a grandmother who likes playing the lottery in her free time, officials said. She said she plans to use the money to pay her bills and take care of her grandchildren.

The Temple Hills store where she bought the ticket will receive a $1,000 bonus, Maryland Lottery announced.

Seven top prizes remain in the Snow Globe 7s game, which debuted in October.

Prince George’s County lies along the eastern border of Washington, D.C.

This story was originally published December 28, 2023 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Lottery player about to toss tickets gives them another glance — and it pays off."