Vending machine attendant gets more than a little spare change

By Kate Northrop

OCEAN CITY, Md. — A vending machine attendant who goes by the name "Spare Change" has just won $1 million from a scratch-off in the Maryland Lottery.

The 36-year-old man, who hails from Millsboro, Delaware, picked up his fortune in the midst of his daily routine when he purchased a scratch-off ticket from the Lottery's "100X The Cash" game for $20.

"Spare Change" stopped at the 7-Eleven convenience store on Coastal Highway in Ocean City to buy his usual rounds of tickets on his way to work, where he ensures that the amusement machines are up and running for visitors to enjoy.

"Almost every hotel has a game room, and there's bars, restaurants and boardwalk too," he explained in a news release. "If there's a crane machine, Golden Tee machine, a foosball table, air hockey or pool table, it's my job to visit them regularly, picking up the coins and restocking the machines."

His routine involves purchasing some Pick 3 and Pick 4 tickets, along with an instant game. While scratching off his ticket, he saw another customer accidentally leave money in the Lottery machine.

"Spare Change" scooped up the money with the intent of returning it to the customer who left it there. He quickly decided to buy another scratch-off ticket and caught the other player before she left the store to return her money.

He took the "100X The Cash" ticket he bought in his last-minute decision and scanned it at the prize check area of the store but was confused to see a message telling him to take the ticket to the Maryland Lottery, according to a press release.

Needing to investigate further, he took his ticket out to the car and got to scratching. What he revealed gave him the shock of a lifetime.

"I started shaking," he recalled. "My nerves were rattled, and I had trouble thinking straight for the rest of the work day."

"Spare Change" had just discovered that he won a top prize worth $1 million. Now it became clear as to why the ticket scanner told him to visit the Lottery.

When he did go to claim his prize, he collected the $1 million as an annuity, the uncommon claims option but one that would help him sensibly manage his newfound winnings.

"This will keep me from spending it all quickly, and it's like having an extra income," he remarked.

The 7-Eleven retailer earned a $1,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

The lucky winner was the very first player to take home one of the six top prizes in the game, which was released in November. Currently, there are seven of eight second prizes of $50,000 and eight of twelve third prizes of $10,000 left to claim.