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SALISBURY, MD---Tom Eanes plays the Maryland Lottery almost every day, usually buying his scratch-off tickets at the 7-Eleven on U.S. Route 50. Like most scratch-off players, he’s never won much of anything. 

But on Saturday, October 14, one of Eanes’ losing tickets is guaranteed to win him $1,000.  He is also one of 12 lottery “losers” who will compete for a $1 million grand prize. The odds are pretty good for the Salisbury University auto mechanic.

“I had a scratch-off ticket and it had a second-chance drawing contest,” Eanes said. “I mailed in some tickets and they picked one of mine.”

This weekend, the 44-year-old resident of Salisbury will travel to the Laurel Park Racetrack in Laurel, MD, for the grand-prize drawing event of the 2nd Chance Contest sponsored by the Maryland State Lottery Agency. The contest provides lottery players another chance to win prizes by mailing in non-winning tickets.

Eanes’ losing $5 Maryland Million scratch-off ticket will at least win him one of eight $1,000 prizes.  Or he could win one of two $5,000 prizes, or even $25,000. Or Eanes could be the one – out of only 12 – to win $1 million.

“I’m going to put it all in a saving account,” said Eanes, joking about what he would do with the money if he wins the big prize. Then, he admitted he doesn’t really know what he would do. “I’m not even thinking about it at this point, I just want to win the money first,” Eanes said. “Obviously I’m going to pay some bills off and take care of some family.”

For more information contact the Maryland Lottery at 410-230-8730 or visit the Web site at .