Holiday Trip Leads To $50,000 Prize For Jasper County Woman
Laci Kane of Prairie City Wins Top Prize In Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa - Time in the car after a family holiday gathering has led to a $50,000 lottery prize for a Jasper County woman.
Laci Kane of Prairie City claimed a $50,000 prize Wednesday that she won on a scratch ticket she bought while on the way home from celebrating Christmas at her mom's house in western Iowa. Kane said that she and her husband, Mitchell, stopped at Kum & Go, 1709 Antique City Drive in Walnut, to buy some scratch tickets to help pass the time while they drove.
"It's a two-hour drive, so it made the drive go pretty fast," she said. "And it was a lot more exciting than any other drive!"
Kane, 27, a nurse, said she initially thought that she wouldn't win a prize on the "$50,000 Holiday Super Crossword" ticket she was playing. But the last letter she uncovered to scratch off in the Crossword puzzle on her ticket was an "A," which allowed her to complete 10 words and win the game's top prize.
Kane claimed her prize Wednesday at lottery headquarters in Clive, taking home the sixth of 12 top prizes available in that game. She said that her husband had played a ticket in the same game two days earlier and they talked about how much fun it would be to win.
"I was like, 'How awesome would it be if we won $50,000?'" she recalled. "And my husband was like, 'Yeah, that would be pretty awesome. That would be amazing.' And then two days later, I did it!"
Kane said she looked forward to showing their families her ceremonial check from the lottery as evidence of her big win.
"It's the holidays, so everybody thinks it's one of those fake holiday scratch-off tickets," she said. "And I was like, 'No, I bought this myself at the gas station. This is real!' And they're like, 'Yeah, we'll see when you prove it.'"
Kane said that she and her husband are building a new home, so they may use some of her winnings to finish the basement, something they didn't initially plan to do. But there are other possibilities, too.
"I think we might put some money away for a nice vacation," she said.
The $50,000 Holiday Super Crossword is a $5 scratch game that challenges players to win a prize by completing words in the play area on each ticket. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
Remember that nonwinning holiday scratch tickets can be entered into the lottery's Fa la la Loot Play it Again® promotion from now through Jan. 8 at 8:59 a.m. The promotion includes $125,000 in cash prizes, including a $20,000 grand prize. Tickets can be entered online or through the LotteryPlus mobile app. For rules and complete details, visit www.ialottery.com.
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