Iowa Lottery

Dubuque Woman Has Lucky Lunch Break

Angela Puccio Wins Top Prize Playing the "Hot $50,000" Scratch Game

  Hear Angela tell her story.

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DES MOINES, Iowa - A Dubuque woman decided to scratch one of the lottery's "Hot $50,000" instant-scratch tickets over her lunch break and ended up winning a top prize of $50,000.

Angela Puccio, 51, was on break from her cashier job at Eagle County Market, 1800 Elm St. in Dubuque, which is also where she purchased the ticket, when she discovered her win.

"I haven't seen the actual real check yet," Puccio said as she claimed her prize Tuesday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. "I think it'll sink in when I do."

Puccio immediately showed her manager the ticket when she discovered the win.

"He gave me a big hug and told me, 'Congratulations!'" she said.

Puccio won her prize over the Labor Day weekend. She said she was only able to get a little bit of sleep before claiming her prize.

"I kept looking at it to make sure it was real," Puccio said.

Puccio said as an Iowa Lottery cashier, she sees people win all the time but never thought she'd be one of them.

"I've validated a $30,000 'Crossword' ticket before," she said.

Puccio is planning to use some of her winnings to share with her family as well as remodel her home.

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