A Missouri Lottery player was happy to have his morning routine interrupted after purchasing a “Mystery Prize Crossword” Scratchers ticket at FastLane, 2301 S. Old Highway 94, in St. Charles.

“I was sitting there. I was scratching, and I start counting the (matching) words and I thought, ‘Oh, this could be a $250 winner,’” he recalled. “Then I started seeing more and more (matching) words.”

He’d spelled out 10 words on the game play area to win a $100,000 top prize.

To date, players have won more than $8.4 million in prizes playing the $5 “Mystery Prize Crossword” game. Three additional $100,000 prizes remain unclaimed.

In FY25, St. Charles County players won more than $72.5 million in Missouri Lottery prizes, retailers received more than $6.1 million in commissions and bonuses, and more than $13.7 million in Lottery proceeds went to education programs in the county.