Time Spent 'People Watching' Leads Iowa Man To Win $25,000 A Year For Life
Richard Hoversten of Des Moines Won In Lucky For Life Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Des Moines man who has carried on his dad's quirky tradition decided to buy some lottery tickets during one such stop last week – and he hit big.
"I went to the store just to watch people. That's something we did growing up," Richard Hoversten remembered with a laugh. "We'd go to town Saturday night to buy groceries. Dad and I'd sit in the car and watch people. He'd say, 'This is the best movie in town!'"
Hoversten, 79, who is retired, stopped Wednesday night at Hy-Vee, 2540 E. Euclid Ave. in Des Moines, and while he was there, he bought a few lottery tickets. The next day, he checked the results of his tickets on the Iowa Lottery website and realized he'd won a prize of $25,000 a year for life in the Lucky for Life® game.
Hoversten said he immediately called his son to double-check what he was seeing. And then his mind went a little blank.
"I couldn't think of anything. I was just kind of dumbfounded, you know?" he said.
He said he then was able to spread the word to his daughter and her family. And they believed his news.
"I don't try to lie to my kids," Hoversten said with a grin.
Hoversten won Iowa's 21st big prize in the Lucky for Life game since its January 2016 debut in the state. His easy-pick ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in Wednesday's Lucky for Life drawing. That led to a win at the game's second prize level of $25,000 a year for life.
Wednesday's winning Lucky for Life numbers were: 9-12-22-25-44 and Lucky Ball 9.
Hy-Vee will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.
Hoversten chose to receive his prize in its annuity option of $25,000 a year for life. He said he plans to pay off bills with his winnings and he may travel more in the future. He also plans to invest for the future and continue supporting charities important to him.
"I'll just be able to give a little more each year now," he said.
Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game's top two prize levels are described as "lasting as long as you do," meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who would prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments.
Players can win the game's top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game's second prize – for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball – is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $3 up to $5,000.
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