- A Maryland man won a $50,000 scratch-off, state lotto officials said.
- Marion East, 79, said he plans to take his wife on a honeymoon with the prize money.
Marion East, who has been married to her husband for nearly 60 years, will finally go on a honeymoon after winning a $50,000 lottery scratch-off.
East, of Somerset County, Maryland, went inside Crisfield Oceanic gas station to pick up a snack when he purchased his $5 Fat Wallet scratch-off ticket recommended by the cashier, the state lottery said in a statement.
He told officials that he doesn't normally play scratch-off games, but he ended up buying multiple tickets. And when the 79-year-old Army vet realized he won, he was bursting with excitement.
"The very last number I scratched was a matching number," East said, per the statement. "When I scratched the prize, I thought it was only for $50."
He continued to scratch the ticket which revealed the $50,000 prize, which left him "shocked." When he returned to the gas station, the cashier validated his win.
The statement said that he collected his prize with his wife from the lottery headquarters last week. She explained that East did not immediately tell her about the win, adding, "I was so happy for him."
In addition to their vacation, East plans to use the money to invest and pay his bills. The gas station where the scratch-off ticket was purchased received $500 from the lottery.
Similarly to East, last year a North Carolina man won a $100,000 lottery prize that he kept a secret from his wife for two months to surprise her on her birthday.