OELWEIN MAN WINS $30,000 LOTTERY PRIZE

Anthony Marrah Wins Top Prize Playing the "Crossword" Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa – An Oelwein man has won the top prize of $30,000 playing the lottery's "Crossword" instant-scratch game.

Anthony Marrah claimed his prize Wednesday at the Iowa Lottery’s regional office in Cedar Rapids. He bought his winning ticket at Casey's, 105 First Ave. S.E. in Oelwein.

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.

Three prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in Crossword as well as seven prizes of $3,000, 86 prizes of $300 as well as more than 400 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.