“THAT'S 10 WORDS!” DUBUQUE MAN WINS $30,000

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Philip Schromen Wins Top Prize in Popular Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa - An eastern Iowa man recently claimed a $30,000 lottery prize.

Philip Schromen, 49, of Dubuque won the top prize playing the “Crossword” (purple newsprint) instant-scratch game. He purchased the winning ticket at Eagle Country Market, 1800 Elm St. in Dubuque and claimed his prize at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

Schromen is a regular Crossword player, so he knows the drill. But even he did a double take when he uncovered the big winner!

“I had to go put my reading glasses on to make sure I didn't miss a letter,” he said. “I went over it eight times and then called the wife at work. I spelled out all the words and she said, ‘That's 10 words.’”

Schromen said he and his wife Jeanine will use his winnings for “stuff we need, not stuff we want.”

Crossword (purple newsprint) is a $3 scratch game. Players win 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.

Fifty top prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in the game, as well as approximately 75 prizes of $3,000, more than 1,000 prizes of $300 and approximately 5,300 prizes of $100.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, more than $2.1 billion has been awarded in prizes and more than $1.1 billion has been raised for state programs.