A vehicle repair and nice family holiday are in store for Nomvuselelo Mpakathi of Baltimore after she won $10,000 playing the Crossword Deluxe game. |
Husband and wife claim $10,000 Crossword Deluxe prize
When her husband brought home three Maryland Lottery scratch-offs for her this past weekend, Nomvuselelo Mpakathi of South Baltimore hoped for a win to help check an item or two off of the family’s Christmas list.
She told officials that the couple has been lucky, winning $20 to $50 prizes often over the years. With her heart set on a similar win, the $10,000 prize that the Crossword Deluxe game delivered left her in a state she still, a full day later, couldn’t adequately describe.
“I was definitely confused,” Nomvuselelo said. “I’d played the game before so I knew what to look for.” Her eyes told her she was holding a $10,000 winner but her heart wouldn’t buy it.
“It just couldn’t be. There was just no way that it could be happening to us.” After disbelief came shock as the reality of the win began to set in followed, finally, by joy. “It was confusion, shock and happiness at the same time. Is there one word for all that?”
The scratch-off fans said the $10,000 win is especially welcome right now. Their one vehicle, essential for getting to work, keeps breaking down. “We hadn’t yet figured out how to get it fixed and still provide a happy Christmas for our two kids,” she said. “Now we can take care of both and more.”
The winning $10 Crossword Deluxe ticket came to them from the 7-Eleven #23666 at 9234 New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring. Crossword Deluxe went on sale in March and has so far awarded five of its six $100,000 top prizes. There are two $10,000 prizes remaining, along with thousands of others ranging from $10 to $1,000.