Man Thought He Won $100 on Lottery Ticket, Then Zeros ‘Kept Going’

A Maryland man ended up winning big thanks to some extra cash he had in his pocket.

A man from Baltimore County, who chose the name “Tank” as an alias, ended up winning a $1 million lottery prize on Friday, Aug 22, after buying a ticket with an extra $20 bill he found in his pocket, according to Maryland Lottery officials.

After going to Hob’s Carroll Motor Fuels in Sparrows Point to pick up some ice, he handed the extra cash to the clerk and “jokingly told her to pick me a winner.”

Using his lucky pocket knife — which he also used on another ticket that won him $10,000 a few. years back — the man said that he scratched off all the numbers without revealing the prize amount.

As he slowly scratched the rest of the ticket, he spotted a one. Then more and more zeros began to appear.

“At first, I thought I won $100. Then I thought it was for $1,000. It kept going and going,” Tank told lottery officials.

Of course, the first person he called was his wife.

He went on to tell a number of loved ones about the win, even texting a family member a photo of the ticket.

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As for his plans for the money, the man said he’ll be using it towards his retirement.

The ticket Hank purchased was All About Cash, which costs $20 per game. The tickets went on sale on July 18, and Tank’s ticket is the first of five $1 million tickets, leaving four at that level unclaimed, along with all four $50,000 second tier prizes. Tens of thousands of other prizes ranging from $40 to $10,000 remain unclaimed, per Maryland Lottery.

The store that sold him the winning ticket will receive a $1,000 bonus.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.