Lottery vending machine's lack of $10 tickets leads to $50,000 prize

Jan. 11 (UPI) -- A Maryland man said a store's lottery vending machine was out of $10 scratch-off tickets, leading him to purchase the $5 ticket that earned him a $50,000 prize.

The Emmitsburg man told Maryland Lottery officials he went to Jubilee Foods in Emmitsburg to cash in a $5 prize from a scratch-off ticket, and while at the store he decided to pick up a $10 ticket from the store's lottery vending machine.

The man said he prefers to play $10 scratch-offs, but he discovered the machine was sold out of all tickets in that price range, so he turned his attention to the $5 tickets.

"I decided to pick the first one I looked at," the player recalled.

The man said he took the ticket, a $5 Lucky game, home and "threw it on the counter and told my wife, 'It's yours.'"

The man's wife came downstairs a short time later and asked him to double check the ticket, which turned out to be a $50,000 winner.

"It's amazing," the husband said. "I never win anything. It shocked me!"

The couple said they plan to use their winnings to make some home improvements.