Richard McCaster is originally from Chicago but now calls Gary home, where he lives with his partner and their two children. With his partner eight months pregnant, much of their time lately has been spent going back and forth to Chicago for prenatal visits.

After one of those visits, Richard made a quick stop on the way home and picked up two Hoosier Lottery Scratch-offs. His favorite is the $5 Neon 9s Crossword. He enjoys the extended play and multiple puzzles and has been a loyal fan of the crossword Scratch-offs to add some play to his day.

When Richard was home and scratching his ticket, he kept uncovering more words. As he scratched off his 9th word, he couldn’t help but hone in on his ticket while everything else faded out. He scratched off his 10th word, looked up and said, “I won! I won the grand prize!”

“Well, what's the grand prize?” his partner asked.

Richard replied, “One. Hundred. Thousand. Dollars.”

Because Richard had played a prank with a fake Scratch-off in the past, she didn’t believe him and walked out of the room. But his celebration was too real to ignore. When his partner returned and saw the look on his face, she knew—this time, it was no joke.

Richard is ecstatic about the $100,000 win and plans to spend the winnings on his family and some home projects. 

$5 Neon 9s Crossword Estimated Overall Odds 1 in 3.70