Two friends stick to a particular strategy when playing the lottery — and it led one to a big win in Maryland.

“Neither one of us plays too often,” the winner’s friend told Maryland lottery officials, according to a Feb. 15 news release.

When the friends do play, they buy two of the same ticket, with the idea that the tactic could help them land a nice prize, they said.

The pair went to a liquor store in Waldorf and noticed the 50X The Cash scratch-off game. The eventual winner started out buying two tickets, and “won a little,” his friend told lottery officials.

So he got two more tickets from the same game. “He won nothing on one but on the second one he kept scratching,” his friend said.

He spotted a prize, but it ended up being much bigger than it initially appeared.

“I thought it was $50,” the professional driver told lottery officials. “I kept scratching. The more I scratched, the more zeros I got.”

He finally revealed a second-tier prize of $50,000.

The St. Mary’s County man told lottery officials he plans to use some of his winnings to buy his friend new furniture for his living room.

Eight top prizes of $100,000 remain in the game, as well as eight $50,000 prizes, according to the Maryland Lottery.

St. Mary’s County is in southern Maryland, about 50 miles southeast of downtown Washington, D.C.

Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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