Iowa Lottery

Cedar Rapids Man Has St. Patty's Day Luck

Michael Sanden Wins Top Prize Playing "Match & Win™" Scratch Game

  Hear Michael tell his story.

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DES MOINES, Iowa - A Cedar Rapids man must have been channeling the luck of the Irish on St. Patrick's Day, because he won a top prize of $30,000 on his "Match & Win™" instant-scratch ticket.

Michael Sanden, 45, said he and his wife, Tracy, stopped for a few scratch tickets after watching the St. Patrick's Day parade in Cedar Rapids. Little did he know it was his lucky day.

"I didn't think it was a very good ticket because several of them didn't have the number on it," Sanden said. "But then I saw on the bonus that I had all the numbers."

Sanden said he looked over the ticket several times before it finally hit him that he won a top prize.

"I told my wife, 'I just won $30,000!'" Sanden said. "She was like, 'No you didn't!'"

Sanden said he and Tracy enjoy playing different scratch tickets together, so it was on a whim that he chose the Match & Win™ ticket. Sanden, who is an auto mechanic, shared the news with other family and friends as well.

"My mom didn't believe me at first," he said with a laugh as he claimed his prize March 19 at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

Sanden said he plans to take Tracy on a trip for their anniversary with some of his winnings. He purchased his winning ticket at Hy-Vee Drugstore, 1520 Sixth St. S.W. in Cedar Rapids.