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CLAY CENTER MAN HITS BIG ON HIS FAVORITE GAME, WINNING $20,000
December 30, 2011
45-year-old Craig Easterberg stopped into Thatcher Drywall to let his co-workers know he wouldn’t be in that day. He had to go to the Kansas Lottery office in Topeka to claim a $20,000 top prize he won on a $2 Bonus Crossword instant scratch ticket.
“None of them believed me at first,” said Easterberg, “I’ve been telling them for years I was going to hit it big in the lottery.”
That “big hit” came when Easterberg revealed 10 words on his $2 Bonus Crossword ticket. Easterberg said he’s been playing Kansas Lottery Crossword scratch tickets for about 20 years.
“It’s just something fun to do,” said Easterberg. “Once you start thinking you aren’t ever going to win, you hit on a big one and it keeps you right in there playing.”
Easterberg wrote out each word several times, trying to convince himself and his wife that he had won. Easterberg signed the back of his ticket, placed it in a plastic bag, and put the bag with the ticket inside of a canister just in case there was a fire. The Easterbergs decided not to make any plans on how to spend their winnings until they received confirmation of their win from a Lottery official on the actual amount they had won.
Once the winning ticket was confirmed, Easterberg texted his wife to let her know they had in fact won $20,000. She responded by reminding him their son needed his wisdom teeth pulled.
“Well, there goes some of it,” Easterberg said laughing. The rest of the winnings will go toward paying bills and into Easterberg’s side window installation and siding business.
The winning ticket was purchased at Short Stop 22, located at 104 S. 6th in Clay Center.
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