Sasha Mitchell, a Paris resident, won $75,000 with a $3 ticket for the Extra! Extra! Crossword instant game. She claimed her prize at the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Claim Center on Nov. 7.

The winning ticket was sold at Tobacco Town Paris, 1205 E. Walnut in Paris.

Sasha was doing some last-minute Halloween shopping when she purchased the winning Extra! Extra! Crossword ticket. The Paris woman waited until the following week to scratch the ticket while sitting in her driveway.

To win the crossword game’s $75,000 top prize, a player’s ticket must hold 11 winning words. Sasha’s excitement grew as she uncovered each word, one by one.

“It kept going and going,” the Paris resident said.

To both her own shock and amusement, Sasha noticed she had covered the lucky eleventh word with her thumb. Then, the realization hit: she had won the $75,000 top prize.

“I just about fell out!” Sasha told lottery officials.

The prize marked her biggest prize yet, following a few $200, $300 and $500 wins. She first shared the good news with her fiancé, then other family and friends. The Paris woman plans to pay off her debt with her winnings.

“I think it’s a dream,” the winner said. “I’ve cried so many times today.”

Another lucky player could win big this week with LOTTO, an Arkansas-exclusive draw game. Its jackpot rises to a record $4.164 million for tomorrow night’s drawing.

Launched in 2022, LOTTO was designed to give Arkansas lottery players more chances to win big prizes. Previous winners include a Sebastian County resident who claimed a $2.338 million jackpot and a Pulaski County resident who claimed a $999,000 jackpot.

Drawings occur on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 9 p.m. Six numbers between 1 and 40 and a Bonus Number are drawn. A player must match these six numbers drawn in any order to win the jackpot. Alternate prizes up to $25,000 are available for players who match three or more winning numbers, with or without the Bonus Number.

LOTTO tickets cost $2 per play, and ticket sales cut off at 8:59 p.m. the night of the drawing.

LOTTO tickets are available for purchase at licensed Arkansas lottery retailers and online. For more information about buying lottery tickets online, visit the Where To Play page on the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery website.

Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information about the lottery.

About the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery 

The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL) creates winning people, winning futures, and winning moments. Since 2009, the ASL has sold over $7.6 billion and returned more than $1.4 billion for scholarships to benefit Arkansas students. More than 770,000 college scholarships distributed by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education have been awarded to Arkansans. The lottery has awarded more than $5 billion in prizes to players, more than $432 million in retailer commissions, and provided more than $180 million in state and federal tax revenue.

Follow the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, and Instagram. Visit MyArkansasLottery.com for more information on scholarships, winners, games, odds, promotions – and to join The Club for free. To get help with problem gambling, contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.