ALBUQUERQUE – Tisha Green of Lordsburg won $50,000 playing the New Mexico Lottery’s “Roadrunner Crossword” Scratcher.
Green, who said she buys only $1, $2 and $3 Scratchers, splurged on the $5 game featuring a cheeky rendition of the state bird.
Above: Tisha Green, winner of $50,000 “Roadrunner Crossword” Scratcher
“That roadrunner just stood out to me,” Green recalled for lottery officials in Albuquerque Friday. “Something told me to get it.”
When she arrived at lottery headquarters, Green thought she had a $1,500 prize coming to her. After being told it was more than 30 times larger, she cried.
“It’s amazing,” she said. “I had no idea.”
The winner bought her lucky ticket at the Circle H Grocery located at 209 S. Pacific Ave. in Lordsburg. A lottery retailer since 1996, Circle H Grocery has previously sold 13 other large prize-winning lottery tickets ranging between $1,000 and $30,000.
Green said she plans to use part of her $50,000 prize to visit her son in Michigan.
Legislative Lottery College Scholarships
Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $539 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. As of the Spring 2011 semester, more than 200 students from Hidalgo County have received $1 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships.