South Dakota Man Wins $250,000 Lottery Prize
P.J. Vaske Claims Top Prize In '$250,000 Extreme Cash' Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A South Dakota man said he and his wife had an unforgettable Christmas after they scratched off a $250,000 lottery prize.
P.J. Vaske of Dakota Dunes, S.D., claimed a top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "$250,000 Extreme Cash" scratch game. He and his wife, Libby, purchased the lucky ticket at Casey's, 4727 Southern Hills Drive in Sioux City.
"We always do scratch tickets in our stockings for a little Santa gift," Libby told officials on Dec. 27 as they claimed their prize at the lottery's Storm Lake regional office. "I wanted to pick some $20 tickets to put in the stocking and that was the one that was kind of just there. I was going to buy multiple ones, but that was the only one left at that store."
Libby said that when she scratched the ticket Christmas morning, she couldn't believe her luck.
"I didn't believe what I was seeing," she said. "I thought I was in a dream. I had my husband come up and look at it: 'Is this right?!'
"We're still pretty much in disbelief," she added. "We just kind of figured, 'Well, this doesn't happen to people like us.'"P.J. said he and his wife plan to use the winnings to fund college savings accounts for their three children as well as make some home improvements.
P.J. said he and his wife plan to use the winnings to fund college savings accounts for their three children as well as make some home improvements.
The $250,000 Extreme Cash game is a $20 scratch game that features 16 top prizes of $250,000, 16 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.55. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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