Sticking with his favorite game paid off

By Kate Northrop

PLEASANT VALLEY, Mo. — As if he wasn't lucky already, one Missouri man stuck with his favorite lottery game to finally bring home a $100,000 top prize after winning multiple $1,000 prizes in the past.

Michael Hatch of Liberty revealed that he won a few prizes worth $1,000 playing crossword scratch-off games from the Missouri Lottery, but his most recent win of $100,000 increased his already impressive bragging rights.

He purchased a "Triple Cash Crossword" scratch-off, his most successful ticket yet, at the QuikTrip gas station on 8600 Pleasant Valley Road in Pleasant Valley after running an errand.

"I'd bought some groceries, then I stopped at QuikTrip and bought some tickets," Hatch recalled.

He took the tickets home and scratched them off, not knowing that one among them was worth way more than anything he'd ever won.

"I was in a state of shock for about an hour," he said of the experience of winning a top prize.

Hatch later explained to the Lottery that he finds crossword scratch-off games "more satisfying" to play, and that he won multiple $1,000 prizes from that same type of game.

Following Hatch's most recent win, the $5 "Triple Cash Crossword" game has three top prizes of $100,000 left to claim of the seven originally available at the game's release in November. There is also one second prize of $30,000 out of three remaining, and one third prize of $20,000 out of four, with over $6 million total in unclaimed prizes so far.