MASON CITY — A Cerro Gordo County man has won a $30,000 lottery prize.
Stephen Leininger, 54, of Rockwell won the big prize playing the Iowa Lottery’s “$300,000 Platinum Cash” scratch game. After purchasing a couple of tickets at Jonesy’s Stop-N-Shop, 104 First St. N in Rockwell, he decided to purchase one more that proved to be a big winner.
“I just scratched the bar code off and scanned it, and it said, ‘Go to the lottery office,’ and there was a bunch of zeros on there,” Leininger said with a laugh Wednesday as he claimed his prize at the lottery’s regional office in Mason City.
Leininger, a retired Marine, claimed the eighth of 42 prizes of $30,000 available in the game. He said he plans to use his winnings to build a patio at his home.
The $300,000 Platinum Cash is a $30 scratch game that features eight top prizes of $300,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.39.
