Iowa Lottery

Vinton Man Wins First Top Prize Playing New Holiday Scratch Ticket

Dan Boddicker Wins Top Prize of $100,000 Playing "Merry Money" Scratch Game

  Hear Dan tell his story.

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DES MOINES, Iowa - A Vinton man said his holidays will be a little brighter this year after winning the first $100,000 top prize playing the holiday-themed instant-scratch game "Merry Money."

Dan Boddicker, 49, said he was on a break at work when he scratched the ticket.

"I didn't believe it at first, like everybody says," Boddicker said.

He said he couldn't believe what he was seeing, so he took the ticket back to the retailer to have it validated right away.

"I was pretty relieved; I thought I'd played the game wrong or something."

Boddicker said the staff where he purchased the ticket, which was Roy's Hometown Grocery, 103 S. K Ave. in Vinton, couldn't believe he'd won either.

"They just said congratulations and had this blank look on their faces," Boddicker said.

Boddicker, who is the owner of Mickey's Bar in Vinton, said he called an employee in to work so he could immediately take his ticket to the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids to claim his prize Friday.

"After I get done with this, I've got to go back to work," Boddicker said.

Boddicker said he still hadn't gotten over the shock of winning, so he hadn't decided what he was going to use his winnings for.