A Maryland man walked away with a $1 million scratch-off win—but not before losing over $327,000 to taxes.
The winner, who chose to stay anonymous and used the nickname “19th Hole” in honor of his golfing hobby, won the prize after buying a $1 Million Royale scratch-off ticket. The $20 ticket was purchased at the Express Lane convenience store on Snow Hill Road in Salisbury, just before he played a round at Nutters Crossing Golf Club.
His first ticket didn’t win. But after finishing his golf game, he decided to try again. This time, he hit the jackpot.
At first, the win was confusing. When he scanned the second ticket’s QR code in the store, the screen showed “$1 million.” But since the game’s name also includes “Million,” he wasn’t sure if he had actually won.
He stepped outside and used the Maryland Lottery app to check again—but he mistakenly scanned his first, losing ticket. The app said “Not a winner.”
After realizing the mix-up, he scanned the second ticket and confirmed the win. He returned to the store to show the clerk, who was stunned.
At that moment, he got a call from his wife. Still in shock, he stuttered as he told her the news. She didn’t believe him at first, telling him, “Shut up!” several times before accepting it was real.
The winner said he had been playing scratch-off games for years, calling himself a regular player. “I’ve been more excited for a $1,000 win,” he said. “This one was more of a shock.”
He claimed his prize on May 1. He plans to invest the money, while his wife is considering early retirement.
The $1 Million Royale game launched in July 2023, offering seven top prizes of $1 million. As of May 1, four of those have been claimed.
However, the full $1 million didn’t make it into the winner’s hands. According to Maryland Lottery rules, prizes over $5,000 are subject to 24% federal and 8.75% state tax withholding. For this win, that meant $240,000 went to federal taxes and $87,500 to the state, reducing the final payout to $672,500.
The story follows other recent headlines involving big lottery wins, including a $349 million Mega Millions prize that saw over $100 million taken in taxes, and a Powerball winner who could lose half of a $167.3 million fortune.
