Lottery player thought her big prize was a ‘dream’ in Maryland. But it was real life

A woman ended up scoring big after her love of bingo led her to a scratch-off, Maryland officials said.

The Prince George’s County woman won $30,000 with a Diamond Bingo 4th Edition instant ticket she bought in District Heights, according to an April 4 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

The woman has only played lottery games for under a year and had never won more than $100, officials said.

She played bingo with her grandma as a child, and the game reminded her of the “good times they shared,” the lottery said.

The lucky winner stopped by lottery headquarters to claim her prize because she worried she’d “wake up from the dream” she thought she was having, officials said.

“I never expected to win this much but I don’t want to waste it,” she told officials.

She plans to put her winnings “in the bank for a rainy day,” officials said.

District Heights is just outside of Washington, D.C., and is about a 40-mile drive southwest of Baltimore.

This story was originally published April 4, 2024 at 5:53 PM with the headline "Lottery player thought her big prize was a ‘dream’ in Maryland. But it was real life."