Day care worker excited over $2,000 lottery ticket looks again — and sees bigger prize

A 23-year-old walked away with a much bigger prize than expected after playing a scratch-off in Iowa, lottery officials said.

Valerie Musgrove of Bloomfield initially thought playing a $2 crossword game landed her $2,000, but when she double checked she learned her real prize was actually $20,000, according to a Dec. 26 news release by the Iowa Lottery.

“I was pretty excited about $2,000, but then I checked it again last night and I found out I had 10 words and that was $20,000,” the day care worker told lottery officials. “I was just so surprised.”

In the “$20,00 Crossword” game, players complete words with a given set of letters.

When Musgrove checked her Iowa Lottery mobile app she learned of her prize, officials said.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been this lucky in my life,” she said.

Musgrove, who claimed her prize at lottery headquarters in Clive, plans to save the winnings, officials said.

“I think it just gives me a little bit of relief just having that there in case I need it,” she told lottery officials.

Clive is about 10 miles west of Des Moines.

This story was originally published December 27, 2023 at 3:13 PM with the headline "Day care worker excited over $2,000 lottery ticket looks again — and sees bigger prize."