2021-04-01 08:55:29.573

Danae Jenkins of Kennett was with her mother when she purchased a Missouri Lottery “Crossword Multiplier” Scratchers ticket at Cable’s Grocery, 23183 State Line Road, in Steele.

When they got back in the car, Jenkins started scratching, hoping for a $100 prize.

“My mom said, ‘It’d be funny if you won the grand prize.’” Jenkins shared. “I was like, ‘No, I’m not going to win the grand prize.’”

Counting the words she had “scratched and matched” on her crossword ticket, Jenkins thought she had won a $5,000 prize and decided they should check the ticket. 

“When I checked it again, I had missed a word,” she explained. 

Shocked, she turned to her mother and said, “‘Mom, I just won $50,000!’”

A mother of two with another on the way, Jenkins plans to use some of her winnings to upgrade her vehicle and look for a house.

“Crossword Multiplier” is a $3 game with more than $7.6 million in unclaimed prizes, including six additional top prizes of $50,000. 

In FY20, players in Pemiscot County – where the winning ticket was sold – won more than $5.2 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $529,000 in commissions and bonuses, and more than $267,000 in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.