Maryland Lottery Winner Prepares for Retirement After $2 Million Scratch-Off Win

A passionate reader with a love for lottery games hit the jackpot, winning a multi-million-dollar prize. This is the story of a woman from Laurel, who claimed one of the top prizes from the Maryland Lottery's Diamonds & Gold ticket.

The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, adopted the alias Book Worm, a nod to her love for reading. Having lived in Laurel for the past five years, though originally from Washington D.C., she shared in a Maryland Lottery interview that she enjoys spending time with her sister in a book club. Additionally, Book Worm mentioned her fondness for playing the lottery, frequently opting for Pick 3 and Pick 4 tickets. She confessed to buying tickets weekly at the 7-Eleven on 14001 Baltimore Avenue in Laurel. Following her usual routine, she recently visited the store thinking it was just another ordinary lottery run. Unbeknownst to her, this visit would lead to a life-changing win. After purchasing several tickets, she decided to scratch them off immediately. While some tickets weren't winners, her Diamonds & Gold ticket turned out to be the exception. She realized she had a winning ticket but didn’t know the exact prize. Handing it to the clerk, she was shocked to discover she had won one of the top prizes—a staggering $2 million. Too overwhelmed to drive, she returned to her car and called her sister for help. Despite winning the Diamonds & Gold top prize on June 30, she waited until this week to claim her reward. Since her win, she has meticulously planned how to use her newfound fortune, with a trip to Paris, France, high on her list. Moreover, the incredibly lucky winner shared her intention to retire from her job at a local grocery store.

Each Diamonds & Gold ticket is priced at $30 and gives you 38 chances to win prizes ranging from $30 to a whopping $2 million. This popular game, rolled out by the Maryland Lottery in mid-April, recently saw a lucky winner from Laurel claim the first $2 million top prize. Another top prize of $2 million is still up for grabs. For those aiming for the second-tier prizes, a $30 ticket could win you $50,000. Out of the initial four $50,000 prizes available at launch, three are still waiting to be claimed. The third-tier prizes offer a $10,000 payout, and there are eight of these prizes still left to be won. In the lower prize tiers, plenty of awards range from $5,000 to $30. The odds of winning any prize from Diamonds & Gold are 1 in 2.81.