A Cedar Rapids Man Won $300,000 on a Scratch Game

We may not have had a Mega Millions or Powerball winner here in Iowa last week, but one Cedar Rapids man got lucky with a scratch-off from the Iowa Lottery!

According to a press release, 45-year-old Kenneth Van Egdon claimed a $300,000 prize at the Iowa Lottery headquarters on Wednesday. He bought a Colossal Crossword at The Station in southwest Cedar Rapids, and was pleasantly surprised when he got home and started counting his words. He told the Iowa Lottery:

“I had, I think, 15 words. Freaking out. And as I’m double-checking, I’m like, ‘There’s the 16th word. There’s $300,000!'”

Kenneth also said his first instinct was to hide the ticket until he could claim his money, which is the fourth top prize in that particular scratch game.

Whenever somebody wins a large amount of money, people always want to know what they're going to do with it. Kenneth said he plans to use the money as a nest egg for the second half of his life. Thanks to this money, he no longer has as many "what-ifs." But, he also wants to go on a nice vacation, get a new car, pay off some debt, and possibly further his education.

The Colossal Crossword scratch game costs $30 and the overall odds of winning are 1 in 2.29. You can get more information on that game and all the other available prizes from the Iowa Lottery by visiting their official website HERE.

Iowa Lottery