What started as a quick stop at a Sheboygan travel center turned into a seven-figure shocker when Jermie Nelson scratched a $1,000,000 Crossword ticket and uncovered a $1 million prize. Nelson bought the $50 ticket at Love's Travel Stop on South Business Drive, then traveled to Madison to claim the winnings at the Wisconsin Lottery office on Thursday. The windfall makes Nelson the first top-prize winner in the state's $1,000,000 Crossword game.
According to the Wisconsin Lottery, Nelson validated and claimed his prize at the Madison Lottery office after buying the ticket at the Sheboygan Love's location. The Lottery's release notes that the $1,000,000 Crossword game debuted on December 19, 2025, and features 10 prize levels ranging from $75 to $1,000,000. The same release reports that there is currently one $1,000,000 top prize still out there, along with smaller prizes that have already hit, including two $5,000 wins, one $10,000 win and one $50,000 win since launch.
Local coverage from FOX6 News Milwaukee backs up the Lottery's announcement and points out that this $1,000,000 Crossword ticket is the largest Lottery prize ever sold at that particular Sheboygan Love's Travel Stop. FOX6 details the same basic timeline, adding that the winning ticket was scanned and validated before Nelson made the trip to Madison to officially claim the money, and notes that its reporting is based on the Lottery's news release.
How the Crossword Ticket Plays and Pays
The $1,000,000 Crossword is an instant-scratch game that uses crossword-style puzzles on both the front and back of the ticket, with detailed play instructions and prize information laid out in the official rules. The Wisconsin Lottery explains how players scratch to reveal letters, build out words on the grids and use bonus words for extra chances at prizes. Published odds from the Lottery show that hitting the top prize comes in at roughly 1 in 240,000, with the chances improving as the prize amounts go down through the lower tiers.
Retailer Payout and Local Ripple Effects
The Lottery's announcement also spells out how the retailer cashes in. Wisconsin retailers that sell winning tickets of $600 or more receive a two percent Retailer Performance Program incentive, capped at $100,000. For selling Nelson's $1,000,000 winner, Love's Travel Stop in Sheboygan will collect a $20,000 bonus.
Big jackpots like this tend to put the spotlight on the store that sold the lucky ticket, and they often spark a wave of "maybe it's our turn" optimism among regulars. Sheboygan has seen several sizable winning tickets in recent months and years, and local coverage of past wins shows how a single big prize can quickly become the main topic of conversation at gas station counters and convenience store coffee stations all over town.
