Routine Gas Stop Leads to $30,000 Win for Central Iowa Man
Cory Reuter Claims Top Prize in 'One-Word Crossword' Scratch Game
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CLIVE, Iowa — A central Iowa man said a $4.44 gas price was the sign he needed to stop at an Ankeny gas station and buy three lottery tickets, one of which turned out to be a $30,000 winner.
Cory Reuter of Ankeny said he had just finished mowing his lawn and stopped at Tim's Amoco Service, 102 N. Ankeny Blvd. in Ankeny, to fill his gas can with premium fuel when he noticed the price at the pump.
"I took that as a sign to go in and buy three No. 4 scratch tickets," said Reuter, who went into the store and bought three tickets in the "One-Word Crossword" scratch game, which was the game in the fourth slot in the store's scratch ticket display.
Reuter, 41, scratched the tickets that night, scanning them with the Iowa Lottery mobile app, and the third ticket was the big winner.
"My family thought I was just playing a joke on them," he said with laugh.
Reuter, who works for a financial services company, claimed his prize Monday at the lottery's main office in Clive. He said he plans to invest his winnings in cryptocurrency.
One-Word Crossword game is a $3 scratch game that features 14 top prizes of $30,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.82. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit www.ialottery.com.
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