BALTIMORE — A western Maryland woman decided to take time off from work after a lottery ticket she believed was worth $5,000 was much more valuable.

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According to a Friday news release from the Maryland Lottery, the winner from Garrett County decided to stay home and “guard” her ticket after she realized it was worth $50,000.

The woman and her husband were driving home from work on Feb. 20 and stopped for gas at BFS Foods in McHenry, lottery officials. The woman decided to buy a scratch-off for Power Cash, a game that debuted a day earlier.

When she scratched off the $5 ticket, the woman learned she had won $5,000. But when she returned to her vehicle and scanned the ticket on the Maryland Lottery’s app, she realized that she did not see the multiplier, which increased her winnings tenfold.

“I didn’t know about the multiplier,” she said after arriving at lottery headquarters in Baltimore, a 200-mile trip. “I took off work for two days guarding the ticket!”

The woman was the first $50,000 winner in the promotion, lottery officials said. There are seven remaining $50,000 grand prizes.

The winner said the windfall was the most she had ever won, adding that she had won a few hundred dollars “from time to time.”

The couple, who have two young children and “plenty of expenses,” plan to enlist professional investment advice and hope to buy a house, lottery officials said. They also are planning a “low-key celebration” to mark their good fortune.

The retail outlet that sold the winning ticket is also celebrating. BFS Foods in McHenry will receive a $500 bonus from the Maryland Lottery.

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