Lottery player’s first two tickets were a bust — but the third left her ‘shaking’

A woman’s first two lottery tickets were duds, but the third landed her a huge prize, Maryland officials said.

The car rental employee bought two FAST PLAY tickets and one $10 Mega Multiplier ticket in Baltimore, according to a July 11 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

She had no idea the third ticket would bring her to lottery headquarters to claim her $100,000 prize, officials said.

Initially, the woman had gone to the store to cash a $5 prize, officials said.

“I stopped at a store, cashed it in and bought another ticket,” she told lottery officials.

The woman, who’s never won more than $100, “couldn’t believe it,” officials said.

“I couldn’t accept that it was real, so I went out to my car and checked it on my lottery app,” she told officials.

Then she went home, where it took a “long time to convince her husband,” officials said. After they looked over the ticket, “both of their hands were shaking,” officials said.

“He must have looked at it for ten minutes. He read every single word on the ticket to find something that would make it a fake,” she said.

This woman’s win means there are 25 $100,000 top prizes waiting to be claimed, officials said.

She plans to use the money toward home renovations and a family celebration, officials said.

This story was originally published July 11, 2024 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Lottery player’s first two tickets were a bust — but the third left her ‘shaking’."