CLIVE — A Charles City man who won a $10,000 lottery prize said his big win came at a good time.
“It was kind of a sigh of relief, because in June I’m getting a hip replacement surgery,” David Kruger told officials Monday as he claimed his prize at the lottery’s Mason City regional office.
Kruger, 47, of Charles City, won the 50th prize of $10,000 in the Iowa Lottery’s “Colossal Crossword” scratch game. He bought his lucky ticket on a whim at Kwik Star, 605 Gilbert St. in Charles City.
“A gentleman bought one of the tickets before me, and I’m like, ‘What the hay? I’ll buy the next one,'” he said.
He scratched the ticket while waiting at a laundromat and scanned it with the Iowa Lottery mobile app. When it showed he won $10,000, he didn’t believe his eyes and scanned it a few more times just to make sure.
“I’ve won $500 a few times, but nothing ever like this,” Kruger said.
Colossal Crossword is a $30 scratch game that features 19 top prizes of $300,000, 56 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.29.