Council Bluffs Woman Wins $20,000 Lottery Prize
Kristina Barber Claims Top Prize In $2 'MONOPOLY Doubler' Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — Her favorite scratch game was sold out, so a Council Bluffs woman bought a lottery ticket in a different game and won a $20,000 prize.
“There are no words for how I feel right now,” Kristina Barber said on Thursday as she claimed her prize at the lottery's main office in Clive. “I'm so excited.”
Barber won a top prize in the Iowa Lottery's $2 “MONOPOLY Doubler” scratch game. She bought the ticket on a whim during a visit to Casey's, 19900 Virginia Hills Road in Council Bluffs, where she stopped to pick up a juice for her 3-year-old grandson.
“There was no rhyme or reason,” Barber said of her ticket choice. “I actually went in for a $5 ticket, but they didn't have the one that I wanted, so I just got that $2 MONOPOLY (ticket) and a $3 crossword, and the rest is history.”
Barber took the ticket home and quickly found it was a winner, but she wasn't expecting a big prize.
“I figured it was a $2 winner, but I kept scratching and all these zeros came up,” she said.
Just to be sure, she double-checked it by scanning it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, and that's when the celebration began.
“I scanned it and it said $20,000,” she said. “I was so excited, but my grandson had never seen me that excited before because he kept asking if I was OK!”
Barber, a nurse, said she plans to use her winnings to pay bills and share with her children.
From now until 9:59 a.m. on May 19, 2026, players can enter nonwinning MONOPOLY tickets for a chance to win a share of $200,000 in cash prizes. For more information about this promotion, visit www.ialottery.com.
$2 MONOPOLY Doubler scratch game is under license from Scientific Games, LLC.
The MONOPOLY name and logo, the distinctive design of the game board, the four corner squares, the MR. MONOPOLY name and character, as well as each of the distinctive elements of the board and playing pieces are trademarks of Hasbro for its property trading game and game equipment. ©1935, 2026 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.
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