A Severn school teacher turned a routine fill-up into a $50,000 surprise after one of two $5 Gold Bar Bingo scratch-off tickets she grabbed at a Sunoco in Landover hit the game’s top prize. She waited until she got home to scratch the tickets, then ran into a brief suspenseful pause when the Maryland Lottery app went temporarily offline before her win was officially confirmed. The Sunoco that sold the lucky ticket will collect a $500 bonus.
According to the Maryland Lottery, the winner, a teacher who has been working in education for three years, bought her two Gold Bar Bingo tickets at the Sunoco at 7530 Martin Luther King Jr. Highway in Landover. Lottery officials say she played through five non-winning bingo cards on the ticket before the sixth card formed an X pattern, matching the game’s $50,000 top prize.
As reported by Shore News Network, the winner is a mother of twin daughters who often picks up bingo-themed tickets with her mother and uncle as part of a family tradition. Shore News notes that she tried to scan the ticket on her phone while the Maryland Lottery app was unavailable, then started calling family members once the prize was finally confirmed.
Game status and claiming
Gold Bar Bingo launched last July with eight $50,000 top prizes in circulation. Two of those top prizes remain unclaimed. The Maryland Lottery reminds players that scratch-off claim deadlines vary by game and that larger prizes require identification and an appointment at its Montgomery Park customer center; full details are available in the Maryland Lottery guidelines.
Small tickets, big moments across Maryland
Modest scratch-offs keep delivering outsized moments across Maryland. Local coverage has highlighted other $50,000 Gold Bar Bingo winners this year, including claims in Upper Marlboro and Edgewater, as noted by The BayNet. For a $5 ticket, those mid-range payouts have a way of changing one household’s budget and quietly rewarding the retailers who sell the winners.
Whether it is part of a long-standing family ritual or a last-second grab at the counter, this Severn win shows how a small gamble can bring a big dose of relief. Winners are urged to sign the back of their ticket, store it in a safe place, and follow Lottery instructions when it is time to claim their prizes.
