$100,000 WIN MAKES
DES MOINES MAN'S HOLIDAYS MUCH HAPPIER

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Kevin Kodjo Abathan Wins Top Prize Playing "Nutcracker Cash" Scratch Game

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man had a very happy holiday when he discovered he had won a $100,000 lottery prize!

Kevin Kodjo Abathan, 23, scratched his "Nutcracker Cash" ticket Sunday and was shocked and thankful when he discovered he'd won the top prize.

Abathan currently works at the Tyson processing plant in Perry. He and his family emigrated to the United States from Africa 10 years ago.

Abathan is preparing to begin school at Kaplan University and said his winnings will definitely help with that. After using the winnings to pay for school, he plans to save the rest.

Abathan claimed his prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery's headquarters in Des Moines. He bought his winning ticket at H & A Mini Mart, 5901 Fleur Dr. in Des Moines.

Nutcracker Cash is a $10 scratch game with two holiday-themed play areas. In play area one, players try to match three identical symbols in the same row to win a prize. If they match two identical symbols and the "$$" symbol, they win double the prize shown. In play area two, players reveal any prize amount and win that amount. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 2.91.

One top prize of $100,000 in left in Nutcracker Cash. Five prizes of $5,000 have yet to be claimed in the game, as well as more than 75 prizes of $500.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, more than $2.4 billion has been awarded in prizes and more than $1.2 billion has been raised for state programs.