2021-04-19 14:02:45.407

Michael Hatch said he has won $1,000 a few times playing crossword Scratchers tickets from the Missouri Lottery, but his most recent win has dwarfed his previous winnings.

The Liberty man shared that he finds crossword Scratchers to be “more satisfying” to play, which is why he chose the “Triple Cash Crossword” game while purchasing tickets recently.

“I’d bought some groceries, then I stopped at QuikTrip and bought some tickets,” Hatch said.

After making the purchase at QuikTrip, 8600 Pleasant Valley Road in Pleasant Valley, he took the tickets home and scratched them. Among his tickets, one happened to be a $100,000 top-prize winner.

“I was in a state of shock for about an hour,” Hatch recalled.

“Triple Cash Crossword” is a $5 Scratchers ticket with more than $6 million in unclaimed prizes, including three other top prizes of $100,000.

In the last fiscal year, Missouri Lottery players in Clay County won more than $23.2 million in prizes. Retailers in the county received more than $2.3 million, and educational programs in the county received more than $9.8 million. For a list of how the educational funds were disbursed, visit MOLottery.com