Longtime friends “Maite” and “Kelly Girl” share a love of Maryland Lottery scratch-offs. The Charles County co-workers, who have been friends for over 20 years, also shared the joy of each other’s $100,000 and $20,200 top-prize scratch-off wins.
When it came time to claim their separate prizes at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore, the women decided to share that experience, too! The Charles County Public Schools employees traveled together, claimed their prizes together and, together, told the story of their big wins.
“Maite,” a married mother of three, starts her winning story with the purchase of a Gold Rush X20 instant ticket in October 2019. The educator used her $25 prize to purchase five non-winning SKEE-BALL® scratch-offs and one very lucky Power 8s instant ticket.
She revealed the “POWER” symbol on her game, which means she won all of the prizes shown on the instant ticket, for a $100,000 Lottery payday. The 10-year Lottery player signed the back of the instant ticket and placed it in her safe at home. She didn’t say a word about her big win to her good friend, but did tell her husband. He shared her excitement.
“My husband knows I have won $10,000 before on a scratch-off,” said the Power 8s winner. “Just a couple of weeks after my $100,000 Power 8s win, I won another $1,800 in prizes at a local casino. In total, I would say I have won over $200,000 playing the Lottery and casino games.”
The day after “Maite” won at the casino, she told her friend about her $100,000 scratch-off win. The Bryans Road resident said she needed to visit Baltimore to claim her prize but had no desire to do so before the New Year.
“Kelly Girl,” unlike “Maite,” doesn’t play the Lottery or visit casinos as often. She had won at most $100 playing Lottery games before she stopped at Colonial Liquors in La Plata to buy champagne for a New Year’s Eve celebration.
“I didn’t even think about which tickets I picked,” said “Kelly Girl,” a mother of one. “I just asked for the tickets that happened to be in boxes with my favorite numbers. By asking the cashier for scratch-offs in the boxes labeled 3 and 6, I was given the $10 Winter Cash Tripler and $20 2020 Cash tickets.”
The Nanjemoy resident scratched the instant tickets in her car after leaving the store. When she realized she won the 2020 Cash game’s top prize of $20,200, she immediately texted her husband. “Kelly Girl” drove straight home and handed her scratch-off to her daughter to confirm the win using the Maryland Lottery app. “Kelly Girl” then thought about claiming her prize and remembered her conversation with “Maite.”
During their 90-minute drive to Lottery headquarters, “Maite” and “Kelly Girl” discussed plans for their winnings. “Maite,” an avid golfer, will use her prize to pay for her daughter’s upcoming nuptials. She also plans to pay off her student loans and consider an early retirement. “Kelly Girl” plans to use her prize to pay her daughter’s college tuition and renovate her home. Both women will also donate funds to benefit needy families in their communities.
The women’s lucky retailers also win. “Maite’s” retailer was Chesapeake Wine Shoppe located at 12030 Jefferson Farm Place in Waldorf. This retailer earns a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery for selling a $100,000 top-prize winning scratch-off. Colonial Liquors located at 6400 Crain Highway in La Plata earns a bonus of $202, equal to 1 percent of the prize, for selling a $20,200 top-prize winning scratch-off.