DES MOINES, Iowa - A Colona, Ill. man said he thought he had won a $50 prize on his "The Black Ticket" instant-scratch game, but then saw more zeros appear as he continued scratching.
Virgil Norton, 75, was traveling through Davenport when he decided to stop at Kwik Shop, 2242 E. 12th St. in Davenport to purchase a ticket. He hadn't played The Black Ticket for a while, so he bought just one of those. He scratched it in the parking lot.
"I looked at those zeros and at the winning number and I was in shock," he said.
Norton has told his family and friends about his win and everyone is very excited for him.
"My step daughter said it's great, that we deserve to win," he said.
Norton said he's planning to use some of his winnings to do some work to his vehicle and around his house.
Norton claimed his prize July 23 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.
The Black Ticket is a $5 scratch game. Players try to win a prize by matching any of "your numbers" to any "winning numbers" to win the prize shown for that number. If players find the "coin" symbol, they win that prize instantly. Players who find the "bill" symbol win double the prize amount shown for that symbol. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 3.74.
Two top prizes of $50,000 are still up for grabs in The Black Ticket, as well as 18 prizes of $1,000, more than 20 prizes of $200 and more than 45 prizes of $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 $2.9 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.
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