Dad tried to hide excitement over big lottery win. Now he plans to buy his dream car

A $20 win on a scratch-off lottery ticket was a good sign for a Maryland dad. So when he was buying coffee at the same Wawa the next morning, he figured he would buy two more tickets.

As he scratched off the first one, he knew his decision paid off.

The Calvert County man won the top prize of $100,000 on a $10 instant ticket in the $100,000 Crossword game, Maryland Lottery announced in an Oct. 24 news release. The second ticket was a non-winner.

“I was so excited but I couldn’t show it,” he told lottery officials. “I didn’t want anyone to know that I won.”

He showed up to claim his winnings with his daughter.

With the prize money, he said he plans to buy his dream car, a 1976 Corvette. He’ll share what’s left over with his wife and daughter, he told lottery officials.

The Wawa where he purchased the ticket in Prince Frederick will receive a $1,000 bonus as well.

Six top prizes remain in the $100,000 Crossword game, which debuted in August, according to lottery officials. Other smaller amounts such as 12 $10,000 prizes, also remain.

Calvert County is about 70 miles south of Baltimore.

This story was originally published October 25, 2023 at 7:22 AM with the headline "Dad tried to hide excitement over big lottery win. Now he plans to buy his dream car."