Eastern Iowa Friends Split Lottery Prize Of $25,000 A Year For Life
Chris Smith, Mark Bussan Split Large Lucky For Life Prize
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CLIVE, Iowa – Two longtime friends from eastern Iowa always told each other they'd split any large lottery prizes they won, sealing the agreement with a handshake.
On Thursday, that came true. Chris Smith, 50, of Cascade and Mark Bussan, 56, of Dubuque split a Lucky for Life lotto prize of $25,000 a year for life.
"We said until we get the money, we're not telling anybody — make sure it's true," Smith told officials as they claimed their prize at lottery headquarters in Clive.
Smith and Bussan, who work together at Webber Metal Products in Cascade, won Iowa's sixth big prize in Lucky for Life since the lotto game debuted here in January 2016. Their winning ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball in Monday night's drawing to win the game's second prize of $25,000 a year for life.
Smith bought the ticket at McDermott Oil Co., 1501 First Ave. E. in Cascade, using a set of numbers he's played in lotto games since 2001.
"Dale Earnhardt died in 2001, and most of those were his car numbers or in some way related to him," Smith said.
That's how Smith knew they'd won big as soon as he checked the winning numbers on his phone the night of the drawing. He quickly called Bussan with the news, despite it being the middle of the night.
"3:45 exactly," Bussan recalled with a laugh. "I got a phone call. It was a good phone call. Usually it's not good when I get a phone call that late at night."
Both Smith and Bussan plan to use their winnings to pay down debt and save for retirement. Their friendship, and prize-splitting agreement, remain firmly intact.
"We'll keep splitting if we keep hitting," Smith said.
Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings twice a week, at 9:38 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. 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.
The winning numbers in Monday's Lucky for Life drawings were: 1-8-15-29-31 and Lucky Ball 2. McDermott Oil Co. will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket at one of its stores.
Players in Lucky for Life choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and 1 out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. 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 $4 up to $5,000.
The odds of winning Lucky for Life's top prize are about 1 in 30.8 million, as compared to odds of about 1 in 292.2 million of winning the Powerball® jackpot; and odds of about 1 in 302.6 million of winning the Mega Millions® jackpot.
| Lucky for Life Prize: |
$25,000 a year for life |
|
| Chosen to receive as: |
$390,000 lump-sum option |
|
| Federal withholding: |
$93,600 |
|
| State withholding: |
$19,500 |
|
| Net amount: |
$276,900 |
|
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