Being short $10 leads man to $50,000 lottery win

May 8 (UPI) — A Maryland man who found himself $10 short at a convenience store likely won’t have that problem for a while after the shortage caused a $50,000 lottery win.

The 37-year-old Parkville man told Maryland Lottery officials he was at the E-Z Convenience store in Towson when he discovered he didn’t have enough cash for the $30 scratch-off ticket he was eyeing.

“For a moment I considered heading to the ATM because I was really in the mood for a $30 game,” he said. “Imagine what I would have missed out on!”

The man said he “settled” for a $20 Cash Explosion instant ticket, which ended up being a $50,000 winner.

“I started scratching the play area and saw a $1,000 win almost immediately. I was thrilled!” the man said. “One of them was for $5,000! Then, one for $10,000!”

The Cash Explosion symbols and matches added up to $50,000.

The man, who dubbed himself “Mr. SSS,” said store workers were equally excited about his big win and posed for a photo with him.

“They were as excited as I was about the win,” he said.

The winner said he picked up the tab when he went out to eat with friends later that day, but he didn’t tell them why.

“They were surprised. I’ll clue them in eventually,” he said.