Fairfax woman wins $50,000 in lottery game

FAIRFAX - A Fairfax woman said she was ecstatic to win the top prize playing a lottery scratch game her boyfriend usually has good luck with.

Samantha Freeman, 26, said she usually just watches her boyfriend, Andrew, play the Crossword game, but this time she decided to scratch a Holiday Crossword ticket herself and ended up winning $50,000.

'We've just kind of stared at it the last two days,' Freeman said as she claimed her prize last week at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

In the $5 game, players win a prize by uncovering at least three complete words in the ticket's two puzzle areas. It takes uncovering 10 words to win the $50,000 prize.

Freeman, who works for a credit union in Iowa City, said she plans to put her winnings into savings until she can decide what to use the money for.

She bought her winning ticket at Casey's, 130 41st Ave. Dr. SW, in Cedar Rapids.