Lucky Break Gives ‘Purple Magic’ a $50,000 Scratch-off Win

Intuition paid off when “Purple Magic” of Aberdeen bought a $500 Loaded scratch-off. His choice led to a $50,000 top-prize win.

Aberdeen resident claims top prize on $500 Loaded game

A night-shift worker had lots of activities planned for his evening break, but winning $50,000 on a $500 Loaded scratch-off wasn’t even on his radar.

The Aberdeen resident, who described himself as an avid Pick 3 player, wanted to vacuum his car during his break but realized his time off was almost over.

“I decided I better go back because I was running late,” he said. The father of three made a quick stop at Royal Farms #065 in Edgewood with the thought of playing his Pick 3 numbers. “Something told me to pick that instant ticket instead,” he said.

The player, nicknamed “Purple Magic” because his fiancée is a Baltimore Ravens fan, quickly scratched off the prize check area on the instant ticket. He scanned it with the ticker checker and got his first shock. “It said, ‘See Lottery,’ and I said to myself, ‘It never said that before!”

“Purple Magic” took the scratch-off to the Royal Farms clerk, who checked it and said quietly that he was a big winner. He won the first $50,000 top prize in the game! She suggested he take a photo of his scratch-off, but the startled Harford County resident declined. Instead, he put the winning instant ticket in his back pocket, left the store and returned to work to finish his shift.

“I kept checking my pocket all night to see if it was still there,” he said. The 54-year-old didn’t awaken his fiancée when he got home, but shared the great news with her the next morning. He plans to pay bills with his prize and put the rest of his windfall in the bank.

His winning ticket joined the Lottery lineup in May as part of a family of instant tickets. The $500 Loaded game still has seven remaining $50,000 top prizes, along with thousands of additional prizes ranging from $5 to $5,000.

Joining in “Purple Magic’s” celebration is the lucky Lottery retailer. For selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, Royal Farms #065 located at 630 Edgewood Road in Edgewood earned a $500 bonus from the Lottery.