DES MOINES, Iowa - A Davenport woman was casually scratching her "Pinball" ticket while waiting for her change and discovered she'd won a top prize of $10,000.
Nita Aurthur, 49, said she couldn't believe what she was seeing when she won. She asked the clerk at Kwik Shop, 2805 Telegraph Road in Davenport to double-check for her.
"He told me to use the checker, and my hands were shaking I was so nervous," Aurthur said. "Then it said, 'Congratulations!'"
Aurthur said a few weeks ago, one of her friends had won a $100 prize playing Pinball, so she was curious about playing the game herself. She said she's not sure it has really hit her yet.
"It probably won't until I get the money in my hands," Aurthur said as she claimed her prize April 19 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.
Aurthur said she told her family about her big win.
"At first my mom said, 'You're joking!' But now she believes me," she said.
Aurthur, who's the kitchen manager at Jersey Ridge Assisting Living in Davenport, said she plans to use some of her winnings to pay bills.
Pinball is a $2 scratch game. Players win a prize by matching any of the "target numbers" with either of the "pinball numbers" to win the prize shown for that number. If players find a "lightning bolt" symbol, they win that prize instantly. The overall odds for winning a prize in the game are 1 in 3.82.
Eleven top prizes of $10,000 are still up for grabs in Pinball, as well as 95 prizes of $500 and more than 720 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 $2.8 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.
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