Inspired by Friend's Win, Southeast Iowa Woman Claims $10,000 Prize
Gina Woodruff Claims Big Prize in 'Ruby Red Crossword' Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — When a southeast Iowa woman heard about a friend winning big on a lottery ticket, she figured there was no reason she couldn't do the same.
"I thought, 'Well, if my friend Carol can win $10,000, then by golly, I can too,'" Gina Woodruff said.
That mindset proved right. On Friday, Woodruff, 52, of Oakville, claimed the 33rd prize of $10,000 in the Iowa Lottery's "Ruby Red Crossword" scratch game, just a few months after her friend, Carol Gerst of West Burlington, won big in the same game.
Woodruff bought her lucky ticket at Kwik Star, 1907 Keokuk St. in Iowa City, and said she was in disbelief when she scanned it using the Iowa Lottery mobile app.
"I tell you what, my heart was pounding," she said. "I had to look at it again to make sure that I wasn't just seeing things."
Even then, she wanted confirmation and asked her husband to check it, too.
"I had him double-check it because I'm still in shock," she said as she claimed her prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "I still can't believe I'm sitting here."
Woodruff said she plans to use her winnings to catch up pay bills and help with repairs on her husband's truck.
Ruby Red Crossword is a $30 scratch game that features 16 top prizes of $300,000, 47 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.29. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.
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