Eastern Iowa Woman Pockets $10,000 Lottery Prize With Help from Lucky Charm
Julie Keeney Claims Big Prize in InstaPlay Lottery Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — An eastern Iowa woman who won a $10,000 lottery prize said she may have discovered her lucky charm sitting right beside her.
Julie Keeney, 66, of Maquoketa, won big in the Iowa Lottery's "Blank Check Progressive" InstaPlay game. Keeney bought her winning ticket during a happy-hour stop with her husband John at Bill's Tavern, 105 S. Matteson St. in Maquoketa.
Keeney had purchased a few tickets the day before, but didn't win a prize. This time, the bartender had an idea.
"She took my money and she rubbed it on my husband's arm and said, 'OK, if it's not a winner, it's his fault, not mine, this time,'" Keeney recalled with a laugh on Wednesday as she claimed her prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office.
After the purchase, Keeney checked her ticket and thought she'd won $2,000. But when she scanned it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, she realized her prize was much larger.
"I just kept looking at the number on my phone screen," she said. "It was a shock. I was dumbfounded. I've won $1,000 before and $2,000 before, but never thought about winning big."
Both she and her husband spent the rest of the evening making contemplating their good luck.
"He asked me about five times the rest of the night if we really did win: 'Are you sure you won $10,000?'" Keeney said with a laugh. "I think I asked myself that, too."
After claiming her prize, Keeney said she plans to save most of her winnings but will use some of the money to pay off an already-planned trip to the Caribbean.
The Blank Check Progressive game's jackpot starts at $50,000 and increases with each ticket sold statewide until it is won.
InstaPlay combines features of scratch and lotto games. Tickets are printed on demand from lottery terminals rather than being pre-printed, and are sometimes called "scratchless" because there is no security coating to remove.
InstaPlay games range in price from $1 to $30. For more information, visit www.ialottery.com.
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