Ottumwa Man Pinching Himself after $100,000 Lottery Win
Esaie Kpati Claims Top Prize in 'Lucky Numbers Game Book'
To download image, right click on image, then navigate to 'Save Picture As' to save this file to your computer.
CLIVE, Iowa — An Ottumwa man said he couldn't believe his luck after scratching off a $100,000 lottery prize.
"I had to pinch myself again to remind myself it's really me: 'Am I dreaming or what's really going on?'" Esaie Kpati said on Monday as he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. "And on to today, I still try to wrap my head around it. It's unbelievable."
Kpati, 38, won the 14th top prize in the Iowa Lottery's "Lucky Numbers Game Book" scratch game. He purchased his winning ticket at Yesway, 502 Second St. W. in Ottumwa.
The lucky ticket rode around in his car for a week before he decided to scratch it on Friday. Kpati said he was overwhelmed when he realized he'd won big.
"I saw that type of money and I almost fell off my chair," he said. "My wife couldn't believe it so we had to check it again and again. And then we realized that yes, it was true. My son was just jumping and hugging me. It was one of the best moments."
Kpati, who works for a beverage company, said he plans to use his winnings to pay off debt and invest for the future.
Lucky Numbers Game Book a $20 scratch game. It features six pages of games, 15 top prizes of $100,000, 15 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.51. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
Return to top↑