Winner So Shocked She Almost Scratched Right Through Her Ticket

A lucky lotto winner has told how she was so excited by her USD 50,000 prize she almost scratched right through her jackpot ticket.

Kim Pullen from the city of Baltimore, Maryland State, USA, poses in undated photo. She won USD 50,000 (GBP 40,828) on the lottery in March 2023. (Maryland Lottery/Newsflash)

Winner Kim Pullen – from the city of Baltimore, Maryland State, USA – had only bought the USD 5 (GBP 4) scratch-off because her local shop had run out of one she wanted to play.

As Kim was purchasing her daily Pick 4 tickets at Parkway Exxon station at 5600 Reisterstown Road, she asked the clerk for the specific game.

But since it was not in stock, she then got a Lucky Riches ticket instead and immediately scratched it off.

And she could hardly believe it when it turned out to be a winner by matching number 16 over the prize amount of USD 50,000 (GBP 40,828).

Kim said in a statement obtained by Newsflash from Maryland Lottery: “I said, ‘Is this for real?’

“I almost scratched a hole in the ticket!”

Image shows the Parkway Exxon station located at 5600 Reisterstown Road in the city of Baltimore, Maryland State, USA, where the ticket was purchased, undated photo. Kim Pullen won USD 50,000 (GBP 40,828) on the lottery in March 2023. (Google Maps/Newsflash)

Lucky Kim visited the lottery headquarters to claim her prize on 17th March.

She told lottery officials that the money came at the right time, just before her two vacation trips to Jamaica and Aruba.

Kim said: “This is going to make them even better.”

Maryland Lottery said: “Kim’s prize is the third one claimed on the Lucky Riches instant ticket, leaving five awaiting discovery along with 10 USD 5,000 [GBP 4,083] prizes and others ranging from USD 5 [GBP 4] to USD 1,000 [GBP 816].

“This game went on sale in February.”