Des Moines Man Wins $100,000 Prize on Birthday Scratch Ticket
Christian Johnson Claims Top Prize in '$100,000 Mega Crossword' Game
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CLIVE, Iowa - A birthday gift from a friend led to a $100,000 lottery win for a Des Moines man.
"I don’t think it’s hit me completely," Christian Johnson said on Tuesday as he claimed his prize at the lottery’s main office in Clive. "I am floored. I couldn’t sleep at all last night waiting to come down here."
Johnson, 42, won the 38th top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s '$100,000 Mega Crossword' scratch game. The lucky ticket was a birthday gift from his friend, Diana Ballentine, who purchased it at Best Food Mart, 4028 E. 14th St. in Des Moines.
After spending most of his birthday working, Johnson said he visited friends later that night. They baked him a cake and gave him a card with a few scratch tickets inside. The first two were nonwinners, and appeared to be as well until he handed it to his girlfriend to finish scratching.
"She just was like, 'You need to look at this! You need to look at this!' " Johnson said. "I didn’t think it was real at first. I’m like, there’s no way! It’s got to be a joke."
Amid the excitement of his win, Johnson said he hasn’t decided what he’ll do with his winnings. But for now, he’s enjoying the peace of mind that comes with a big lottery win.
"It definitely came at a perfect time," he said. "It’s a blessing for sure."
The $100,000 Mega Crossword game is a $10 scratch game that features 46 top prizes of $100,000, 92 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.29. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.
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