Patrick Cocchia of Weston Wins $10,000 Playing "$100,000 Cashword 3"
23-Year Old College Grad “Tallies Up” $10,000 Lottery Prize
April 28, 2011 -- Patrick Cocchia of Weston, who recently graduated with a business degree in finance and accounting from Northeastern University, had little difficulty tallying up the completed number of “RED” and “BLACK” words on the
“$100,000 Cashword 3” instant game ticket that he was given by a friend. “I realized right away that it was a winner, but I thought it could be a gag gift,” Cocchia told lottery officials with a laugh. “I didn’t think it was real.” Once Cocchia verified on the CT Lottery’s website (ctlottery.org) with his own eyes that the ticket was genuine, the reality of his good fortune fully sunk in. The end result? His lucky combination was worth a cool $10,000.
$100,000 Cashword 3, a hugely popular crossword-puzzle style of game, is an “extended play” instant game. The $10 ticket takes more time to play than a standard ticket, and the prizes that can be won are built upon how many matches are made as the play is completed.
Because Cocchia had a winning combination of “3 BLACK WORDS” and “3 RED WORDS,” on his $100,000 Cashword 3 instant ticket he won $10,000—the second largest prize in the game.
Cocchia, 23, arrived at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill yesterday where he accepted a check for $6,853 (prize value after taxes). Cocchia said that the prize money comes at an exceptionally good time. “All of it will go to student loans. It will definitely make a good dent!”
Cocchia’s winning $100,000 Cashword 3 ticket was purchased at Soundview Variety Store located at 23 Soundview Avenue in Norwalk. For selling the $10,000 prize winning ticket, Soundview Variety Store will receive a $100 selling bonus from the CT Lottery.