DES MOINES, Iowa - A Le Claire man said he's giving his wife credit for their $10,000 win playing the "Triple Fortune" scratch game, because while he scratched the ticket, she is the one who purchased it.
Marvin Kuhlman, 58, said he could barely believe his eyes when he discovered what he'd won.
"Most of the time when we play, we only win a couple bucks," Kuhlman said. "So when I scratched off the bag that said, 'Win,' I thought I had only won a couple bucks. But I looked at it and it said $10,000!"
Kuhlman instantly woke up his wife, JoAnn, to tell her the big news.
"I said, 'You've got to get up! We just won $10,000!'" Kuhlman said. "She double-checked the ticket and sure enough...."
Kuhlman said he's especially excited because it was the first time he had played the Triple Fortune game.
"I'm looking for some more winners now!" Kuhlman said with a laugh as he claimed his prize June 29 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. "What a feeling!"
Kuhlman, who works for a plumbing warehouse, said he's trying to keep quiet about the win, but he did share the news with his coworkers.
"I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I had to blabber it!" Kuhlman joked.
JoAnn purchased the winning ticket at Hy-Vee, 2900 Devils Glen Road in Bettendorf. Kuhlman said they plan to use some of the winnings to pay for a new roof on their house as well as help their children.
Triple Fortune is a $2 scratch game. Players scratch the "cash and prize column." If they find the "money bag" symbol they win the prize shown for that symbol. If they find the "$$$" symbol, they win triple the prize shown for that symbol. If they find the "bank vault" symbol, they win all ten prizes shown. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 3.79.
Seventeen top prizes of $10,000 are still up for grabs in Triple Fortune, as well as 39 prizes of $1,000 and 180 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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