$30,000 LOTTERY TICKET SOLD IN DES MOINES

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Cherrie Williams Wins Top Prize Playing the "Crossword" Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Bethany, MO woman was in Des Moines for the holidays when she bought a "Crossword" scratch ticket and won the top prize of $30,000!

Cherrie Williams claimed her prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery's headquarters in Des Moines. She bought her winning ticket at Git-N-Go, 816 E. Euclid Ave. in Des Moines.

Crossword is a $3 scratch game. Players win a prize by uncovering at least three complete words in the ticket's puzzle. If a player uncovers 10 words, he/she wins $30,000. The overall odds of winning in the game are about 1 in 4.

Ninety prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in Crossword as well as 137 prizes of $3,000, more than 1,970 prizes of $300 and 9,510 prizes of $100.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion for state programs.