Dec. 4 (UPI) -- A Maryland man who scored a $30,000 jackpot from a scratch-off lottery ticket said he only ended up buying the ticket because his friend refused it.
The 23-year-old Eldersburg man told Maryland Lottery officials he and a coworker were visiting the 7-Eleven store in Eldersburg when his colleague decided to buy some scratch-off tickets.
The man said he encouraged his friend to buy a $3 Skee-Ball scratch-off, but the other man refused.
"He told me he didn't like Skee-Ball because he never hit on it," the man recalled. "Then, he said, 'You should play it if you think it is a winner.' I took his advice and now I'm a winner!"
The ticket turned out to be a $30,000 top prize winner.
"It's really a funny story," he said. "I wouldn't consider myself a Lottery player, so this really shouldn't have happened to me at all."
The winner said he plans to use his money to buy a new car and a gaming computer. He said he also plans to make Christmas extra special for his mother.
"I can't wait to see the look on her face this Christmas," he said.