DES MOINES, Iowa - When a Davenport man decided to buy the last two "Lifetime Riches" instant-scratch games in the retailer's pack, he never dreamed he'd win a $10,000 prize.
Steve Hoftender, 50, said he was only going to buy one ticket, but ended up buying the very last one as well.
"The one that she gave me was the winner," Hoftender said. "I was shaking and handed it to my wife."
Hoftender said when he discovered what he'd won, it didn't even sink in.
"I couldn't believe it was real," he said.
Hoftender, who manages a car wash in Davenport, took his ticket back to Tobacco Outlet Plus, 2312 State St. in Bettendorf to have his ticket validated.
"The same lady was there and she ran it through and was really happy for me," Hoftender said. "I ran it yesterday and it was actually her birthday."
Hoftender's wife, Paula, shared the news with their family and friends on Facebook, so Hoftender said everyone knew right away.
"The kids are jealous and wondering what I'm going to buy them," he said with a laugh.
Hoftender said he plans to use some of his winnings to remodel a room in their home. He claimed his prize Feb. 23 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.
Lifetime Riches is a $20 scratch game. When players match any of "your numbers" to any "winning number" in the play area on each ticket, they win the prize shown for that play area. If they find a "star" symbol, they win the prize shown instantly, and if they find the "5X" symbol, they win five times the prize shown for that symbol.
Two top prizes of $1 million are still up for grabs in Lifetime Riches, as well as four prizes of $10,000, 58 prizes of $1,000 and more than 600 prizes of $500 and $100.
Players can enter eligible nonwinning scratch tickets online to earn "Points For Prizes®" points. The point value will be revealed to the player on the website upon successful submission of each eligible valid ticket. There is a limit of 30 ticket entries per day. To participate in Points For Prizes®, a player must register for a free account at ialottery.com. Registration is a one-time process. Merchandise that can be ordered by using points will be listed on the website in the Points For Prizes® online store. Players can choose from items in categories such as apparel, automotive, jewelry, sporting, tools and more.
Since the lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.8 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.
Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.
###
