December 17, 2010 -- Derrick Gooden, a retired house painter from Bristol, likes to follow a regular routine that includes playing his favorite CT Lottery draw games...Lucky-4-Life, Powerball and Mega Millions.  Recently, however, Gooden had the urge to “try something different,” so he asked his daughter-in-law, Elaine, to buy him an instant game ticket.  She purchased “Cashword 17,” a $3 game that she enjoys playing herself, and gave it to him.  A few strokes across the face of the ticket rewarded Gooden well for mixing it up--$25,000, one of Cashword 17’s twenty top prizes.  

A first time player, Gooden didn’t realize that his ticket was worth $25,000; in fact, he and Elaine both thought it was a $1,000 winner.  Bringing the ticket to a lottery retailer, Elaine first scanned it in a Ticket Checker and then had the retailer validate it, receiving a Claim Receipt.  “I thought it was for $2,500, but then I saw the extra zero,” said Gooden with a grin.

Gooden, with his daughter-in-law at his side, arrived at CT Lottery headquarters in Rocky Hill recently and received a check for $17,126 (prize value after taxes).  “I’ll get a little something for myself, and buy some Christmas gifts for the kids,” Gooden said.

Cashword 17 certainly has its followers; it is a game that is played much like a traditional crossword puzzle, with an extended-play aspect that many players take pleasure in. Gooden’s top prize winning ticket was purchased at Jay’s Wine & Spirit located on North Main Street in Bristol.