SILVER SPRING, MD — A Silver Spring couple says their itchy hands are responsible for a $50,000 lottery win.

It all started when the husband was playing a popular video game called Grand Theft Auto, which has a casino feature. The game prompted him to ask his wife what she would do if she hit the jackpot. "He asks me that all the time," the wife told Maryland lottery officials.

Later that night, her hands began to itch. When she told her husband, he said his hands were itching, too. Still dreaming of a lottery win the next day, he dropped his wife off to work and swung by the Food Stop Mini Mart at 4820 Boiling Brook Parkway to buy a $5 Super Bonus Bucks instant ticket.

That night, he gave his wife the scratch-off and reminded her about their itchy hands. She laughed it off and scratched away at the ticket. Turns out those itchy hands were worth more than a few laughs.

That instant ticket was worth $50,000.

"I've never won anything before! This is insane!" she told lottery officials.



The couple's newfound wealth will help them pay off some debt, make some investments, and take a vacation, according to officials. The money will also be a huge help to the wife, who is in college studying to become a physician's assistant. They aren't the only winners in this story.