Jan. 10 (UPI) -- A Maryland retail clerk who received a pair of scratch-off lottery tickets from a regular customer as an end-of-year "tip" ended up winning $50,000.
Veronica Spekis, 41, told Maryland Lottery officials she was working at the Soda Pop Shop in Parkville in late December when a regular customer told her to pick out two scratch-off lottery tickets for herself as an end-of-year tip.
Spekis picked a pair if $5 Holiday Riches tickets and scratched them off on her break to discover one was a $50,000 top prize winner.
She said she plans to use her winnings to help fulfill her goal of buying a house.
The Soda Pop Shop was given a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.