HP Man Wins $250K on Lottery Crossword Ticket

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - A longtime Highland Park resident is a lot richer after scratching off an Illinois Lottery Crossword ticket that turned out to be worth $250,000, the top prize in the game.

Carmen Rodriguez told Lottery officials he likes their Crossword games because "they take awhile to play."

That time was well worth it, as was the $10 he paid for the ticket at the Shell gas station at 2135 Green Bay Road in Highland Park. Rodriguez claimed the prize shortly after at the Lottery's prize center in Des Plaines.

The local retailer gets $2,500, one percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.