Maryland man wins $1 million lottery prize after letting another customer ahead of him in line

Mar 3, 2026, 8:43 am (15 comments)

Maryland Lottery

Customer unknowingly repays his kindness with a million bucks

By Kate Northrop

SEVERN, Md. — A Maryland man won a $1 million prize on a lottery ticket as a result of allowing a woman to go ahead of him in line at the store.

Sometimes it pays to be nice, and sometimes it can earn you a million dollars. One Maryland man was rewarded handsomely for one such pleasant gesture when it placed him on a path to win big.

A lottery winner by the name of Ryan was shopping at the Walmart on George Clauss Boulevard in Severn when he'd experience an interaction that would lead to a million-dollar decision.

He was there to shop for his mother and claim a $500 prize on a scratch-off ticket, and while he was waiting in line, he allowed a woman standing behind him to go ahead of him. She gave him two $10 scratch-off tickets in return.

Ryan scratched them off before he left the store and discovered that one of them was a $50 winner. He "was feeling lucky," the Maryland Lottery said in a press release, so he put the $50 prize towards two $25 "$1,000,000 Crossword" tickets.

He decided not to play the games traditionally by scratching off the play area, rather he scratched off the area revealing the QR code and checked the tickets. After scanning them at the lottery vending machine, he received a message that said, "see lottery" for one of them.

He was sure that meant it had won something big. Maybe it was a winner for $10,000, he thought, but that guess was way off.

On Feb. 25, Ryan found himself telling Lottery officials at headquarters in Baltimore about the moment he discovered one of them was a winner for the game's $1 million top prize.

It was a well-timed win, given his upcoming wedding to his fiancée in a few weeks. Before the prize landed in his lap, he explained to the Lottery, there was a lot of stress surrounding the big event, but now, they'll stay optimistic for the future.

Ryan, who works as a carpet cleaner and enjoys collecting rare coins, will also put some of the winnings toward buying a car each for himself and his fiancée.

For selling the winning ticket, Walmart receives a $1,000 bonus from the Lottery.

Ryan won the first of four $1 million top prizes in the $25 "$1,000,000 Crossword" scratch-off game, which launched in February. All ten second-tier prizes of $100,000 remain, as well as 46 out of 50 third-tier prizes of $20,000.

The overall odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 2.83.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Nino224's avatarNino224

Imagine someone randomly giving you two $10 scratchers for letting them go ahead of you. She must've been in a really big hurry, LOL!!!

nychic's avatarnychic

Omg, imagine being that woman and giving away your $1 million dollar winning ticket 😂😂😂😂

Tony Numbers's avatarTony Numbers

Quote: Originally posted by nychic on Mar 3, 2026

Omg, imagine being that woman and giving away your $1 million dollar winning ticket 😂😂😂😂

She didn't give him the "million" dollar ticket. She gave him two $10.00 scratchers, one of which was a $50.00 winner. He then bought two other $20.00 scratchers, one of them being a million dollar winner. He could have done that without her help, since he was in line to cash a $500.00 ticket. But I suppose the good karma by his kind gesture led him to the winner. Oh and buy the way remember the story from Florida where the woman let the Old lady in front of her and she won the billion

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by Tony Numbers on Mar 3, 2026

She didn't give him the "million" dollar ticket. She gave him two $10.00 scratchers, one of which was a $50.00 winner. He then bought two other $20.00 scratchers, one of them being a million dollar winner. He could have done that without her help, since he was in line to cash a $500.00 ticket. But I suppose the good karma by his kind gesture led him to the winner. Oh and buy the way remember the story from Florida where the woman let the Old lady in front of her and she won the billion

Yes....something about Publix in Florida selling big winners.     Now you've stimulated a few brain cells up there and will try to find out how old she is.   ICR her Son and boyfriend and that's about.    that was easy, 84 in 2013.

Brock Lee's avatarBrock Lee

if maryland is a state that allows winners to remain anonymous, why on earth did this guy go for the publicity? well, congratulations dude and good luck with all the requests for handouts.

billybucks

Quote: Originally posted by Brock Lee on Mar 3, 2026

if maryland is a state that allows winners to remain anonymous, why on earth did this guy go for the publicity? well, congratulations dude and good luck with all the requests for handouts.

 No one bothers people over winning a paltry 460k which is all he gets after taxes.

Brock Lee's avatarBrock Lee

Quote: Originally posted by billybucks on Mar 3, 2026

 No one bothers people over winning a paltry 460k which is all he gets after taxes.

i hope you're right.

billybucks

Quote: Originally posted by Brock Lee on Mar 3, 2026

i hope you're right.

  That used to be the case back when the lotteries first started and he will probably get a few hints that some friend or family member could use a couple of hundred bucks or something to skate save their cable bill but strangers are not going to approach him.

JustMaybe

The Good Lord knows the number of times that I have done good deeds at the store:

Holding the door open for someone that's 10 miles away 🤣

Letting someone that's buying food to go before me, their need is more immediate than mine.

Letting an older person go ahead of me.

Being super friendly to the store clerk.

I hope one of these fine days, the deeds are going to earn me something big 🤣🤣

Iamflawless

What God has for you is for you

sully16's avatarsully16

Congrats Ryan, summer is coming, have tons of fun. 

Litebets27's avatarLitebets27

I have been focusing on this Crossword ticket since it came out. The most I've won on it was $300.00. I keep hearing stories of people winning $2,000.00 prizes. I can't seem to find those tickets. If I do, you won't be seeing me hold up one of the big cardboard tickets for a photo opt.

Congratulations Ryan.

Artist77's avatarArtist77

Quote: Originally posted by JustMaybe on Mar 3, 2026

The Good Lord knows the number of times that I have done good deeds at the store:

Holding the door open for someone that's 10 miles away 🤣

Letting someone that's buying food to go before me, their need is more immediate than mine.

Letting an older person go ahead of me.

Being super friendly to the store clerk.

I hope one of these fine days, the deeds are going to earn me something big 🤣🤣

Doing a good deed and expecting something in return might be your issue? You know the old saying that the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing.

welington

Good deed paid off. Only question.Maryland is a anonymous state why show and reveal your identity.

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