ALBUQUERQUE – A Clovis couple won a top prize playing a New Mexico Lottery Scratcher game.
Troy and Tiffany Vancleave won $50,000 playing the lottery’s “Crossword Deluxe” Scratcher.
“I fell to my knees and cried,” Tiffany Vancleave told lottery officials in Albuquerque.
Above: pictured are Troy and Tiffany Vancleave, winners of the Crossword Deluxe scratcher
The couple said they plan to save the prize.
Tiffany Vancleave purchased the $5 game in Eunice at Allsup’s Store No. 1 at 929 Main St. A lottery retailer since 1996, the Allsup’s location has sold 24 top-tier winning lottery tickets paying between $1,000 and $15,000.
Other recent local Scratcher winners include Brittany Anson, who won $30,000; Marilyn Durwin, $3,000; and Angelica Chaparro, Adrian Gonzales and Anna Alarcon, $1,000 each. They all live in Clovis. Tex Belcher of Portales won a $5,000 Scratcher prize.
Legislative Lottery College Scholarships
Since 1996, the New Mexico Lottery has raised $510 million for education and more than 75,300 students have attended college on Legislative Lottery Scholarships. As of the Spring 2011 semester, 2,000 students from Curry County have received $6.6 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships.