CEDAR RAPIDS MAN WINS FOURTH $10,000 LOTTERY PRIZE

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Clifford Williams Wins Top Prize Playing the "Flying Aces" Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Cedar Rapids man has won his fourth $10,000 lottery prize! Most recently he won the top prize playing the "Flying Aces" instant-scratch game.

Clifford Williams, 67, said he really enjoys playing the lottery's scratch tickets, and no matter how many times he wins, it's always a surprise.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I scratched it off and it was $10,000! I was just really, really thrilled!" Williams said.

Williams was with his wife and a friend when he discovered his win.

"I told everybody there at the table that I had won it and they didn't believe me," Williams said.

Williams even surprised the clerk that sold him the ticket.

"The guy at customer service wanted me to run it through the machine and I said, 'No, no, I'm not going to part with this ticket!'" he said.

Williams claimed his prize Thursday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. He purchased his winning ticket at Hy-Vee, 3235 Oakland Rd. N.E. in Cedar Rapids. In the past, Williams won playing the "Red Hot Cash" scratch game.

Williams said he plans to use his winnings to help family pay bills and work on his car.

The Flying Aces scratch game is a $2 game. If "Your Card" beats the "Dealer's Card," players win the prize shown for that play area. If they find an "Ace" symbol, they win double the prize shown. The overall odds of winning in the game are 1 in 3.84.

Sixteen top prizes of $10,000 are still up for grabs in the Flying Aces game, as well as 515 prizes of $100.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised nearly $1.2 billion for state programs.