Aunt’s advice leads first-time lottery player to big win on Christmas Day in Maryland
What started as a holiday snack run soon turned into the “best Christmas ever” for a Maryland woman who won a top prize from a scratch-off game, lottery officials said.
Lilian Hernandez — a first-time lottery player from Silver Spring — won $50,000 from a $5 Deluxe Crossword 9th Edition game after her aunt suggested she purchase the scratch-off, the Maryland Lottery said in a Dec. 30 news release.
She bought her winning ticket from a Safeway grocery store in Wheaton, about a 10-mile drive north from Washington, D.C., lottery officials said.
When she first scanned the ticket, Hernandez saw $50 and told the kids in her family who came on the snack run with her to get whatever they wanted, she told lottery officials. But when her aunt scanned the ticket a second time to verify the win, they realized the win was worth much more.
“I was in disbelief,” Hernandez told lottery officials. “It’s the biggest blessing we’ve had.”
Back at home, she called family members in El Salvador to share her good news, but she and her aunt still questioned the win until they claimed the prize, the lottery said.
Hernandez plans to pay bills and help family members with her winnings, she said.
The 9th edition of the Deluxe Crossword scratch-off began in September and includes prizes ranging from $5 to $50,000, lottery officials said. The overall odds of winning are 1 in 3.47.
This story was originally published December 30, 2024 at 5:59 PM with the headline "Aunt’s advice leads first-time lottery player to big win on Christmas Day in Maryland."
