‘What the hay?’ Iowa man wins $10K in lottery scratch-off

MASON CITY, Iowa — An Iowa man decided on a whim to buy a scratch-off ticket while waiting at a laundromat, and it resulted in a $10,000 jackpot, lottery officials said.

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David Kruger, 47, of Charles City, won the Iowa Lottery’s “Colossal Crossword” scratch-off game and collected his prize on Monday in Mason City, the Iowa Lottery said in a news release

Kruger, who is expecting to undergo major surgery in three months, said he was grateful to win the 50th prize in the promotion.

“It was kind of a sigh of relief, because in June I’m getting a hip replacement surgery,” Kruger said in a statement.

Kruger bought his winning $30 ticket at a Kwik Star convenience store in Charles City, lottery officials said.

“A gentleman bought one of the tickets before me, and I’m like, ‘What the hay? I’ll buy the next one,’” Kruger said.

He scratched the ticket at the laundromat and scanned it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app. He was puzzled when he saw he had won $10,000 and scanned it several more times to be sure.

Kruger was correct. He had won $10,000.

“I’ve won $500 a few times, but nothing ever like this,” Kruger said in a statement.

Colossal Crossword features 19 top prizes of $300,000 and 56 prizes of $10,000, lottery officials said.

The last two top prizes have been won by Mason City residents, KCHA reported. Nicole Anderson won the big prize in December 2022 and Jessica Chambers won the promotion’s 16th top prize the following month, according to the news outlet.

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