‘Second thoughts’ lead man to dig lottery ticket out of trash. It paid off big

A truck driver’s “second thoughts” led to a massive lottery win, Maryland officials said.

The man stopped in Elkton for a coffee when he decided to buy a $20 MONOPOLY X100 game, according to a May 27 news release by the Maryland Lottery.

The Howard County resident had no clue he’d be buying a ticket carrying a $1 million prize, lottery officials said.

He initially threw the ticket away because he thought it was a dud but decided to fish it out of the trash and scan it, officials said.

After he scanned the ticket and was prompted with the message, “See Lottery,” the lucky winner knew he “made the right decision to double check the ticket,” officials said.

The winner is “excited” but has “decided to keep the news under wraps,” officials said.

Although he doesn’t know what he’ll do with the winnings, he said he’ll potentially buy another home, officials said.

Elkton is about a 50-mile drive northeast from Baltimore.

This story was originally published May 27, 2025 at 5:50 PM with the headline "‘Second thoughts’ lead man to dig lottery ticket out of trash. It paid off big."