Half-Scratched Deluxe Crossword Game Stuns Player with $50,000 Prize

Confused Germantown man scratches entire game after scanner proclaims big win

A dedicated scratch-off player of 30 years almost missed a winning combination on the 7th edition of the Deluxe Crossword game. The Montgomery County resident found four of eight winning words and only resumed scratching off the rest of the puzzles when a ticket scanner reported he won a $50,000 top prize.

The Germantown man said the excitement began when he scratched off four black words on one of the two crossword puzzles in the game. He took the winning instant ticket to a Lottery retailer to retrieve what he thought was a $5 prize. When he scanned his scratch-off to verify the win, he learned his prize was much more than $5.

“I scanned it and it said $50,000. There was no way. I kept scanning it and $50,000 kept coming up,” said the happy winner.

When he scratched off the rest of the instant ticket, he revealed four red words on a puzzle. Finding four red and four black words quickly bumps the payout up to the game’s top prize of $50,000.

The lucky winner has played for decades. Part of his daily ritual is to buy scratch-offs, go for a walk and sit at a pond to play scratch-offs. He likes crossword scratch-offs because they take more time to play. The retired 81-year-old said he will use the money to play off bills and invest in home improvement projects for his house.

His lucky Lottery retailer is Seneca Convenience, which is located at 12611 Wisteria Drive in Germantown. As a result of selling a $50,000 top-prize winning scratch-off, the Montgomery County retailer will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery.

This is the fifth top prize ticket claimed on the $5 game, leaving three $50,000 prizes remaining along with seven $10,000 prizes. Other unclaimed prizes range from $5 to $1,000. This seventh edition of this game went on sale Sept. 19.