Woman thought she was a $3 Iowa lottery winner. But there were several more zeroes

A woman’s disbelief was shared by her husband, who thought her big lottery win in Iowa was merely a prank.

But the Bonus Crossword scratch-off prize was real for 39-year-old Jamie Tobar, who recently celebrated her $30,000 win, according to the Iowa Lottery.

Tobar purchased her ticket at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Waterloo, and she initially believed she only won $3 because she forgot to scratch off the bonus letters.

“I scanned it and didn’t believe it, so I just kept scanning it,” she told lottery officials.

She thought the lottery app “was glitching” when she saw what she really won. And when Tobar showed her husband, he was just as shocked.

“My husband was looking at me like, ‘What is wrong with you?’” Tobar said. “Then he thought I was pulling a prank on him.”

The couple eventually realized the app was not glitching, and there was no prank being played. They collected their winnings Monday, Jan. 23, in Cedar Rapids.

Tobar said they plan to use their winnings to pay bills and share with their children.

Waterloo is about 55 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids.

This story was originally published January 25, 2023 at 12:59 PM with the headline "Woman thought she was a $3 Iowa lottery winner. But there were several more zeroes."