Maquoketa Woman Claims Big InstaPlay Lottery Prize that Got Town Talking
Tonya Flenker Claims Jackpot Prize of More Than $52,000 In InstaPlay Lottery Game
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CLIVE, Iowa - A Maquoketa woman who won more than $52,000 said news of the big lottery win spread quickly through town.
Tonya Flenker, 49, won a jackpot prize of $52,838 in the Iowa Lottery's "Hot Ticket Progressive" InstaPlay game, a $10 game that features a jackpot that starts at $10,000 and increases with each ticket sold statewide until it is won. She bought her ticket while on break during her overnight shift at Walmart, 103 E. Carlisle St. in Maquoketa.
After spotting matching numbers and seeing she'd won, she raced inside to show the ticket to a co-worker, who checked the ticket with the Iowa Lottery mobile app.
"He gets his phone out and scans it, and his jaw drops. It's like, 'What?! I can't believe it!'" said Flenker, who claimed her prize Wednesday afternoon at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "I thought I was going to pass out. It's crazy."
At first, Flenker and her co-workers planned to stay quiet about the win. But once the Iowa Lottery posted on social media Wednesday morning about the winning ticket being sold, the news was out and the town was buzzing.
"People saw the post on Facebook, and then everybody in town started sharing it, and it got around," she said. "Some have it figured out, I think."
So for the community: Mystery solved!
While she plans to invest the winnings for what's ahead, Flenker said she hasn't nailed down the details yet.
"I'd like to invest it in some way, whether that's putting it toward a little piece of property, or just do something to make some money and keep it going," she said. "Something to have and look at and be proud of and watch it grow. I'm just not quite sure what yet."
The InstaPlay product combines features from instant-scratch and lotto games. InstaPlay tickets are called "scratchless" because they have no security coating that needs to be removed to determine the prize won. And rather than having supplies of tickets printed in advance like those in traditional scratch and pull-tab games, InstaPlay tickets are printed on demand from the lottery terminal.
InstaPlay games range in price from $1 to $30. For more information, visit ialottery.com.
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