Kenneth Glad
A stop at a convenience store before work turned into a moment that he said he could barely process.
Maurice Williams, 59, won the top prize in the $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off game from the Maryland Lottery.
Williams had stopped at a 7-Eleven on his way to work. He was there to cash a previous $50 prize from the same game.
Instead of leaving with the money, he bought another ticket and scratched it while sitting in his car.
At first, he did not realize what he was looking at.
“I didn’t notice I had a matching number at first, until I scanned it,” Williams said, according to People. “It’s crazy because the matching number was 59 and I just turned 59 the other day.”
Lottery officials said Williams is the first top-prize winner in the scratch-off game, which still has two additional $5 million prizes available.
Trying to process it
Williams described sitting in his car after scanning the ticket, trying to make sense of the scan result.
“I just sat there stuck, I mean, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I had to get my head straight.”
His first call was to his mother, and she helped calm him down after hearing the news.
Williams then put the ticket away and continued with his day instead of immediately claiming the prize. During a break at work, he contacted lottery officials to schedule an appointment.
That night, he said, he struggled to sleep:
“I tossed and turned all night. I still didn’t believe it until I came here.”
Williams officially claimed the prize on May 5. The 7-Eleven that sold the winning ticket will receive a $5,000 retailer bonus.
Plans for the prize
While some lottery winners quickly discuss vacations, cars or luxury purchases, Williams focused first on family.
He now plans to buy his mother a house and save the remaining money while deciding what financial steps to take next.
Mr. Williams is not the only lottery winner who is planning to do good with his prize money.
LiveAbout has separately reported on lottery winners who used prize money for family or community projects, including a couple who helped fund a local spray park and a New Jersey family who supported nonprofit work through a family foundation.
Sources: People, LiveAbout.
