Quad Cities Man Wins $29,000 Playing The Lottery
John Galella Claims Five Prizes in Pick 4 Lotto Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Quad Cities man chose his lottery numbers on Mother's Day weekend based on his mother's birthday and won $29,000 in prizes.
John Galella of Moline, Ill., won the prizes in Saturday's Pick 4 midday drawing. He made four wagers of $2 on straight/box plays, in which prizes can be won by matching the four numbers drawn in any order, and a $.50 cent wager on a straight play, in which prizes can be only be won by matching the numbers in the exact order drawn.
He matched all four numbers drawn in the exact order: 1-2-2-5, so he won four prizes of $6,500 each on his straight/box plays and a $3,000 prize on his straight play.
"It was around Mother's Day, so I played my mom's birthday which is Dec. 25,” Galella told officials on Monday as he claimed his prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "I just know that you're darn lucky, because it's a 1-in-10,000 chance that number's going to come in.”
Galella, 71, said he plans use his winnings to pay bills and share with his family.
Pick 4, which has been offered in Iowa since September 2003, features odds of just 1 in 10,000 of winning the game's $30,000 top prize. It offers a variety of play options and wagers from 50 cents to $5 for the chance to match a four-digit number combination from 0000 to 9999. For more information about Pick 4, visit www.ialottery.com.
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