‘Speechless’ couple initially thought they won $500 in lottery. ‘Add some zeroes’

A couple who thought they won $500 playing an Iowa Lottery game soon realized a much larger prize awaited them.

The husband and wife from Newton won the jackpot prize playing the $50,000 Super Crossword scratch-off game.

David Russell, 63, said he purchased the $5 ticket at a liquor store in Newton. He gave it to his wife and began grilling dinner when she asked him to turn off the grill and check their ticket.

When they scanned the ticket on the lottery app, what they thought was a $500 win was actually $50,000.

Read more: 7 Best Online Casinos: Ranked by Bonuses & Casino Games

“I looked at her and I was speechless,” Russell told lottery officials. “I looked at her and I said, ‘You better add some zeroes.’”

Odds of winning link the $50,000 prize are 1-in-119,660.

The winner said he hasn’t “been that excited for a long time.”

“It started yesterday (at) about 5 o’clock and the excitement hasn’t stopped,” he said. “I’ve been thrilled to death to tell others, to show others, how real it really is, that it’s fact and not fiction.”

He said they plan to use the winnings to furnish their new home or to save for retirement.

Newton is about a 35-mile drive northeast from Des Moines.

This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 1:52 PM with the headline "‘Speechless’ couple initially thought they won $500 in lottery. ‘Add some zeroes’."