Woman continued lottery tradition after husband died — and wins big. ‘He’d be happy’

Even after her husband’s death in March, an Iowa woman continued trying her luck at lottery games they had previously played together.

It helps pass the time during retirement, after all.

Now — four years after her husband won a big lottery prize — Alice Risden has as well. The retired woman from Gilbert won the top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s $30,000 Crossword scratch-off game.

“If he were here, he’d be happy, because he always liked to see someone else win, too,” Risden told lottery officials. “The picture is still on our refrigerator, so now, I can go right beside him.”

Risden’s jackpot prize is a bit larger than her late husband’s, a $2,500 win in 2019.

The dollar amount came as a surprise to the widow.

“I thought I had $300, and then went, ‘Well, maybe a little bit more,’” she said. “Then I scanned it, and it was $30,000. Amazing. I still am saying amazing!”

Risden said she plans on sharing her winnings with her children and grandson, according to lottery officials.

Odds of winning the top prize in the $30,000 Crossword game are 1-in-119,932. The game costs $3 to play.

Her reasoning behind playing the crossword game is simple — it takes longer to complete.

“My husband and I always did that,” she said. “That was our afternoon. We’d sit at the counter and he’d go after them for both of us to get the same tickets, and yeah, it was something to do. When you retire, you can do that.”

Gilbert is about a 40-mile drive north from Des Moines.

This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 8:34 AM with the headline "Woman continued lottery tradition after husband died — and wins big. ‘He’d be happy’."