Ron Gettman said he bought an “Easy Money” scratch ticket Tuesday at Hy-Vee, 2400 Fourth St. SW in Mason City, and that ticket ended up winning the fourth of eight top prizes of $100,000 available in the game.
“It’s quite a surprise,” Gettman told lottery employees Wednesday as he claimed his prize at the lottery’s regional office in Mason City. “It said, ‘$100,000.’ I could hardly believe it so I called my son and he came over and helped me verify that the thing was a winner.”
The 78-year-old retiree said he also had his winning ticket confirmed at a local lottery retailer Tuesday night just to double-check. And when it was confirmed, Gettman said he was too excited to sleep.
“I’m just thrilled. It’s going to be a big boost for me,” he said.
Gettman said he plans to use a portion of his winning to pay bills. He also said he plans to share a portion with his children and his church.
Easy Money is a $10 scratch game.
