Iowa Lottery

Harlan Woman Wins $30,000 On A Whim

Jan Peterson Wins Top Prize Playing "Match & Win™" Scratch Game

  Hear Jan tell her story.

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DES MOINES, Iowa - A Harlan woman decided to purchase a "Match & Win™" scratch ticket at the end of her work shift and ended up winning the very first top prize of $30,000.

Jan Peterson, 59, works part time for Fast Stop, 2401 S. 12th St. in Harlan, and said she wanted something to go home and do after her shift, so she picked out a new ticket.

"I got home and scratched it off and could not believe it," Peterson said.

The first and only person Peterson shared the news with was her son.

"He said, 'Oh, that's a phony ticket!'" she said. "It's hard to believe so I really wanted to verify it before I told anyone else."

Peterson, who is also a secretary at Jacobs Corporation, said she plans to use some of her winnings to pay bills as well as help out her children. She claimed her prize Jan. 10 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Council Bluffs.