Iowa Man Wins $250,000 Lottery Prize, Accidentally Scares Wife
Paul Engler Claims Top Prize In 'Payline' Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa - A Dubuque County man was trying to tell his wife he won a $250,000 Iowa Lottery prize and unintentionally scared her in the process.
"I made the mistake of saying, 'Hey, you better get out here, I think I'm having a heart attack,'" Paul Engler recalled of the phone call to his wife. "She literally thought I was having a heart attack and I said, 'No, I'm not having a heart attack! Just come out, it's a good thing!'"
Engler, who is 54 and lives in Worthington, scratched his winning "Payline" ticket in his car outside a store where his wife and son were shopping. He bought it earlier that day at Casey's, 101 Horsefield Industrial Way in Epworth, and claimed his prize Monday at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.
Engler said he will use his winnings to help his kids pay for college. He also wants to treat them to a family vacation.
"The boys have never seen an ocean or flown on a plane. So we did say we're going to remedy that next summer," Engler said.
Payline is a $20 scratch game that features eight top prizes of $250,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.40. For more information about this game and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.
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