Gallup resident Wilfred Cowboy ponyed up $5 for a New Mexico Lottery
Scratcher Thursday and rode off into the sunset with a handsome prize.
Cowboy, who works as a driver for Elite Laundry, won $70,000 playing the lottery’s
“Dazzlin’ Diamond 7s” Scratcher. Even though the frequent Scratcher player
felt confident that he would soon win a big lottery prize, Cowboy said he was stunned
after revealing the $70,000 windfall.
“I blinked and rubbed my eyes,” he said. “Then I started shaking.”
After ending his shift at 10:30 a.m., the 43-year-old father and his son Sheridan
Cowboy drove to lottery headquarters in Albuquerque to claim the prize. Cowboy
plans to use his winnings to pay bills, buy a truck and take his family on a California
vacation. Son Sheridan hopes to attend college on a Legislative Lottery Scholarship
after he graduates from high school next year. He wants to study sports medicine
at Western New Mexico University in Silver City.
Cowboy’s winning Scratcher ticket was purchased at Giant Gasamat No. 557 at 800
E. Coal St. in Gallup. This lottery retailer has sold 14 other large prize-winning
tickets ranging between $1,000 and $15,000.
Lottery Beneficiaries in McKinley County
All net revenues from the sale of lottery games benefit the Legislative Lottery
Scholarship program, which provides tuition assistance for New Mexico residents
attending the state’s public colleges and universities.
Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $355 million for public education
in New Mexico and more than 50,000 students have received Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
As of the Spring 2007 semester, more than 1,300 high school graduates from McKinley
County have received $4.3 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Information
on Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at
www.nmlottery.com.
