Linn County Woman Wins $50,000 Prize In New Lottery Game
Karen Stearns Claims First Top Prize in 'Holiday Bucks'
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CLIVE, Iowa — A Linn County woman has claimed the first $50,000 prize in a new Iowa Lottery game.
"This kind of stuff — that doesn't happen to me." Karen Stearns, of Palo, told officials Friday as she claimed her "Holiday Bucks" scratch prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "I'm just not that lucky. And lo and behold, I am today."
Stearns, 55, stopped at Hy-Vee Drugstore, 4825 Johnson Ave. NW in Cedar Rapids, to rent a carpet cleaner, and decided to buy a couple of lottery tickets as well. She said she chose the Holiday Bucks game because she knew that any nonwinning tickets would be eligible for the Iowa Lottery's Ho Ho Dough holiday promotion.
"When that comes out, I'll buy those tickets if nothing else, because if I win on them, great," she said. "And If I don't, well, I can enter them into that drawing and hopefully win on something like that."
Stearns, who owns a delivery business, said she plans to invest some of her winnings and use some on a kitchen renovation.
"We've been living in this house now for three years and that's all I've wanted, so now I can get it," she said.
Holiday Bucks is a $5 scratch game. It features eight top prizes of $50,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.49.
Nonwinning holiday scratch tickets can be entered into the lottery's Ho Ho Dough Play it Again" promotion from now through Jan. 7 at 8:59 a.m. The promotion includes $200,000 in cash prizes. Tickets can be entered online or through the LotteryPlus mobile app. For rules and complete details, visit www.ialottery.com.
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