Dream feels all too real, so much so that he had to follow through with it

By Kate Northrop

BALTIMORE, Md. — A Maryland man's dream literally became a reality when he was inspired by a vision of his father gifting him a lottery ticket, played the lottery in real life, and won a $57,777 prize.

The timing of a Maryland man's dream and his lottery win could not have been more perfect — even his prize amount was uncanny.

A dedicated scratch-off player who went by the name "Dell" to protect his identity told the Maryland Lottery about what led up to him buying that winning ticket. What was a routine prize claim for the Lottery was an extraordinary event for this player.

Having been "playing the lottery for as long as [he] can remember," "Dell" says his $57,777 top prize win was thanks to a dream he had, in which his father gifted him a scratch-off ticket with the number 7 on it.

Playing the lottery was a fun common interest he and his father enjoyed together. They would often buy the latest scratch-off games to hit the shelves and share their success stories with each other, "Dell" related.

The Baltimore resident's remarkable win happened when he was picking up some wine at Frankford Gardens Liquors on Sinclair Lane in Baltimore. While there, he followed his dream, as well as his habit of picking out newer games, and bought two instant tickets from the "Winning 7" game for $5 each.

The first ticket he scratched was a winner for $15. Then, the top line on his second ticket revealed one of the winning numbers. At that moment, "Dell" knew it was something big. He was "floored" when he scanned the ticket at a terminal and saw the $57,777 prize amount flash on the screen.

"I wasn't expecting it at all," the winner said in a press release. "After I saw it, I double-checked it and rushed home to see my wife."

In addition to renovating his home, "Dell" said he wants to use the prize money to "spoil his wife."

The retailer receives a $577 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top prize-winning ticket.

With "Dell" having claimed the second top prize in the $5 "Winning 7" game, six more top prizes of $57,777 are left. There are also all ten second-tier prizes of $7,000 and 21 out of 24 third-tier prizes of $1,000 remaining in the game, which launched in November.

The odds of winning any prize in the "Winning 7" game are 1 in 3.92.