A D.C. man won $5 million from a scratch-off lottery ticket in Hyattsville, Maryland … and then went about his workday as a school bus driver.
Maurice Williams bought his winning ticket at the 7-Eleven in the 7200 block of Sheriff Road before heading to work, Maryland Lottery officials said. He stopped into the store to cash in a $50 prize he’d won on a $5,000,000 LUXE scratch-off, which costs $50 play.
He used his $50 winnings to buy another ticket and almost missed the fact that he’d won a whopping $5 million.
“I didn’t notice I had a matching number at first, until I scanned it,” he told lottery officials. “It’s crazy because the matching number was 59 and I just turned 59 the other day.”
Williams said he couldn’t believe he had won so much money.
“I just sat there stuck; I mean, I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I had to get my head straight.”
He called his mom to share the good news, put the ticket away and went to work, lottery officials said. A photo shows him with an oversized check on May 5.
Williams said he plans to buy his mother a house, save the rest and think about what to do next.
The scratch-off ticket has a 1 in 2.5 probability of winning any prize, with $50 as the smallest prize.
Lottery officials share 24-hour help for those with a gambling problem. Go to mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Some states let lottery winners stay incognito to protect them from unwanted attention, scams or people wanting to borrow money. Here’s where you can stay anonymous if you hit the jackpot.

