Omaha Woman Wins $35,000 Playing Bonus Crossword

Bonus CrosswordSamantha Riley of Omaha won $35,000 playing the $3 Scratch game Bonus Crossword from the Nebraska Lottery.

Riley purchased her winning ticket at CVS, 4840 Dodge Street in Omaha. Stevens says she often purchases her tickets there as it’s across the street from her work.

Bonus Crossword has five top prizes. Riley is the first person to claim a top prize in the game. The odds of winning the top prize in Bonus Crossword are 1 in 480,000, while the odds of winning any prize are 1 in 3.4

While claiming her prize on Nov. 9, Riley told Nebraska Lottery officials that she didn’t believe she had one at first. When she realized that she actually had, she said she felt nauseous.

“I kept it in a safe until I could come here,” she said.

Riley said she’ll use her winnings to pay off student loans and start a college fund for her daughter.

Published on 11/16/2015