Maryland man buys ice and scratch-off ticket, scores $1m prize

• Scratch-off ticket purchase on a whim results in a $1m win for Baltimore County man
• The fortunate man scored the first top prize from the Maryland Lottery's All About Cash scratch-off ticket
• Four top prizes of $1m each, along with many other prizes, remain up for grabs from the $20 scratch-off game

A utility worker from Baltimore County was recently surprised by a life-changing million-dollar win.

On Monday this week, the Maryland Lottery released details regarding the fortunate winner, who chose to remain anonymous but selected the nickname "Tank."

Randomly purchased lottery ticket brings unexpected windfall

The man, whose identity will likely forever remain a mystery, stopped to buy ice at Hob’s Carroll Motor Fuels located at 7115 North Point Road in Sparrows Point.

Having an extra $20 in his pocket, the man decided to buy a lottery ticket on a whim and asked the teller at the store to pick a winning ticket.

This is how the man got a hold of the Maryland Lottery's All About Cash scratch-off ticket.

The fortunate Baltimore County man used a lucky pocketknife he had on him to scratch off the ticket.

Interestingly, the man admitted to using the same knife to scratch off a ticket a few years ago and win $10,000.

However, on this occasion, he scored a life-changing prize of $1m.

The lucky man initially scratched off the winning numbers and saw that there was a match on number 27. This, he said, was a number with great significance to his family.

After going home, "Tank" continued to scratch off the ticket and saw the number one, followed by zero. He then saw another zero, and then another.

"At first, I thought I won $100. Then I thought it was for $1,000. It kept going and going," the winner said.

In the end, the lucky man scratched off the entire field, uncovering the life-changing prize of $1m.

It's no surprise that right after, the man called his wife to tell her about the newfound fortune.

Later on, the Baltimore County man told family and friends about the huge windfall.

He recently visited the Maryland Lottery headquarters located in Baltimore to claim his big prize.

Asked about his plans for the newfound fortune, "Tank" said he intends to put some money on the side for his retirement.

Each All About Cash ticket grants a chance for a range of prizes

The Lottery's All About Cash ticket costs $20 per play and grants 29 chances to win a prize between $40 and $1m.

After the top prize was won by the Baltimore County resident, who won the first such prize in the game, there are four prizes of $1m each remaining in play.

On the other hand, a tier-two prize from All About Cash pays out $50,000 and there are four such prizes in play.

The $20 scratch-off ticket also offers 31 prizes of $10,000 each.

Within the lower prize tiers, lottery players can win between $5,000 and $40.

The overall odds of winning any prize from the popular scratch-off game are 1 in 3.47.

Image credit: Maryland Lottery