Newton Man Surprised By $50,000 Lottery Win
David Russell Claims Top Prize In '$50,000 Super Crossword' Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Newton man who thought he and his wife had won $500 said he was dumbfounded when he realized they'd instead won $50,000.
"I looked at her and I was speechless," David Russell said of his wife, Rhonda. "I looked at her and I said, 'You better add some zeroes.'"
Russell, 63, won the 53rd top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "$50,000 Super Crossword" scratch game. He bought the winning ticket at Pit Stop Liquors, 1324 First Ave. E. in Newton, and brought it home for his wife to scratch while he grilled dinner.
His wife called for him to turn off the grill and come look at the ticket. When Russell scanned it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, that's when they realized it was a big winner.
"I haven't been that excited for a long time," said Russell, who claimed the prize Tuesday at lottery headquarters in Clive. "It started yesterday about 5 o'clock and the excitement hasn't stopped. I've been thrilled to death to tell others, to show others, how real it really is, that it's fact and not fiction."
Russell said he and his wife have a couple of ideas for the winnings.
"We're looking at buying a new house and that would be perfect for some furnishings, or we've thought about putting it back for retirement," he said. "Either way, it's wonderful."
The $50,000 Super Crossword is a $5 scratch game that features 105 top prizes of $50,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.26. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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