Eight Words Give Baltimore Scratch-off Team a Top-Prize Win

Retired couple claims $50,000 prize on Deluxe Crossword game

They play the Lottery every day, a retired Baltimore couple told Lottery officials this week. She likes crossword-style scratch-offs and he prefers bingo-themed games. They scratch off their instant tickets together, side by side, and have been doing so as long as they can remember. In all those years, however, they’ve never had a day like last Monday.

“It was a crossword ticket that won for us, so the $50,000 is really mine,” joked the better half of the pair. After all, she had chosen the Deluxe Crossword 8th Edition game that delivered their top-prize win. When the husband and wife studied the winning scratch-off, they couldn’t believe their eyes. “This can’t be real,” they said, almost in unison.

The couple are excited about their windfall, not for what they might now buy for themselves, but for what they can do for their larger family. “We both come from big families,” the lucky husband explained, “lots and lots of nieces, nephews and grandkids.” It seems that our Baltimore winners are central figures in the lives of many of their relatives. “This will help us help them when it’s needed.”

The eighth edition of the Deluxe Crossword scratch-off is a $5 game that debuted earlier this month. This instant ticket purchased from Jolly’s Food Mart at 1500 North Monroe Street in Baltimore carried the game’s first of eight top prizes. Seven remain available, as well as all 14 $10,000 second-tier prizes and 45 $1,000 prizes. Jolly’s management will receive a $500 bonus from the Lottery for selling the top-prize winning scratch-off.