CLIVE — A Clear Lake woman said she hardly slept after scratching off a $10,000 lottery prize.
Jennifer Bitker, 40, claimed the first prize of $10,000 in the Iowa Lottery’s “Very Merry Crossword” scratch game. She purchased her winning ticket at Quick Shop, 904 N. Eighth St. in Clear Lake.
Bitker took the ticket home and scratched part of it before deciding to check it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app.
“I went and just scratched the (code) where I could check on the phone, not thinking I was going to win anything, just to double-check before I got rid of it, and that popped up,” she said. “I started yelling for my son. He’s like, ‘What?!’ He thought something bad happened.”
Bitker claimed her prize Friday at the lottery’s Mason City regional office. She said she hasn’t decided what she’ll do with her winnings, but is considering paying bills and saving it.
Very Merry Crossword is a $10 scratch game that features seven top prizes of $100,000, 15 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 3.29.
