Christmas Wish List Grows After Council Bluffs Woman Wins $10,000 Lottery Prize
Melody Barajas Claims Top Prize In '777' Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Council Bluffs woman who scratched off a $10,000 prize said her big win has changed the trajectory of her family's holiday season.
"We started making a new Christmas list — a revised Christmas list from our previous one," Melody Barajas said with a laugh on Monday as she claimed her prize at the lottery's main office in Clive.
Barajas won the second top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "777" scratch game. The win came on a ticket her husband, Steve, purchased at Casey's, 15 N. 16th St. in Council Bluffs. Barajas said they felt especially fortunate because the game wasn't Steve's first — or even second — choice.
"He picked a different one and they were out of it, then picked a different one and they were out of it also," Barajas said. "The cash was like, 'Well, we have these 777 tickets. Do you want them?' He was like, 'I guess so.'"
Barajas and her husband took turns scratching tickets. When she uncovered the big prize, they both did a double-take.
"It's pretty exciting," she said. "I thought my husband was playing a trick on me and got me one of those fake scratch tickets."
The 777 game is a $2 scratch game that features 16 top prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.94. For more information about this game and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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