ONE WINNER'S STORY LEADS
FAYETTE COUNTY PLAYER TO $50,000 TICKET

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Roger Winter Wins Top Prize Playing the "Black Pearls" Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa – After reading a winner's story in his local paper, a Fayette County man purchased the same ticket and won the top prize of $50,000!

Roger Winter, 66, said he went looking for the "Black Pearls" ticket after reading about a winner from Waterloo who had won the top prize.

"I stopped at M & M Convenience because my wife needed ten pounds of potatoes. I couldn't remember the name of the ticket, but I saw that one had the $50,000 jackpot and I said, 'Oh what the heck, give me one of those,'" Winter said. "I went home and scratched it and I told my wife to come out here and look at the rules and she said, 'Holy cow! Get up there and see if that's right!'"

Winter, who is from Waucoma, said he went right back to the retailer where he purchased the ticket, M & M Convenience Store, 113 Riverview Dr. in Waucoma, to have the ticket validated.

"I'm sure glad he sells potatoes!" Winter laughed.

Winter purchased the ticket Friday and had to hold onto it all weekend before claiming his prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Mason City.

"It was different from any other weekend I've ever had," he said.

Winter said he and his wife, Karen, plan to use some of the winnings to take a trip as well as build a new garage.

"As well as fend off the neighbors," Winter joked.

Since discovering his win, Winter has told his two children as well as other family and friends. He said they're all very excited for him.

Black Pearls is a $5 scratch game. Players try to win a prize by matching any of "Your Numbers" to any "Winning Numbers" to win the prize shown for that number. If players find the "2X" symbol, they win double the prize amount shown. Players who find the "5X" symbol win five times the prize amount shown for that symbol.

Eight top prizes of $50,000 are still up for grabs in Black Pearls as well as 31 prizes of $5,000, more than 180 prizes of $500, and more than 95 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.