WEST DES MOINES MAN WINS $30,000

To download digital audio files of this story, right click here, then navigate to "Save Target As" to save this file to your computer.

For media-ready jpeg image of Jeff Jensen click here.

Jeff Jensen Wins Top Prize in Popular Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa - A central Iowa man recently claimed a $30,000 lottery prize.

Jeff Jensen, 48, of West Des Moines won the top prize playing the “Crossword” (purple newsprint) instant-scratch game. He purchased the winning ticket at Shortstop, 1850 22nd St. in West Des Moines claimed his prize at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines.

He was in shock when he arrived at the lottery office and found out he'd won $27,000 more than he thought he had!

“When I scratched it off I thought it was a $3,000 winner,” he said. “So I brought it in [to the lottery office] and they ran it through [the lottery terminal] and it was $30,000! I was excited.”

Jensen said first on his list was buying a Mother's Day present for his mother. Then he said he'd pay bills.

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.

Forty-nine prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in the game, as well as approximately 70 prizes of $3,000, more than 1,000 prizes of $300 and approximately 5,000 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.