Mason City Man Couldn't Focus At Work After Winning A Large Lottery Prize
Kelly Als Claims Big Prize in InstaPlay Lottery Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Mason City man bought a couple of InstaPlay tickets over his lunch hour and ended winning lottery prize of more than $21,000.
"The gas station I bought it from was kitty-corner from my work place. So I just went from there to work," explained Kelly Als. "Tried to work and it lasted about five minutes and decided to tell the boss I needed some time off."
Als, who works at Hawkeye Autobody, purchased his winning ticket at Yesway, 1920 S. Federal Ave. in Mason City. He won a jackpot prize of $21,251.60 in the Cherry Twist Progressive InstaPlay game and claimed his prize April 25 at the lottery's Mason City regional office.
"I called my girlfriend first and kind of freaked out over the phone," he said. "I don't think she believed me a first. And then my voice was kind of crackly, so, I think that's probably what convinced her."
Als' nerves were still getting the best of him as he claimed his prize and was deciding what to do with his winnings.
"It goes in spurts. Like I'll be calm for a little bit and then I'll just kind of freak out again," he said. "Probably just put it away in the bank for now until I calm down enough to figure out what to do with it."
Als said his girlfriend, Kendra Marnin, was his next stop after claiming his prize.
"Kendra actually works at the bank that I bank at, so I'll probably go see her next," he said.
The Cherry Twist Progressive jackpot starts at $2,000 and increases with each ticket sold statewide until it is won.
The InstaPlay product combines features from instant-scratch and lotto games. InstaPlay tickets are called "scratchless" because they have no security coating that needs to be removed to determine the prize won. And rather than having supplies of tickets printed in advance like those in traditional scratch and pull-tab games, InstaPlay tickets are printed on demand from the lottery terminal.
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