$3 lottery ticket left Iowa woman ‘excited and shaking.’ But her husband was skeptical

An Iowa woman quickly knew she was a big winner in a scratch-off lottery game, but it took her awhile to figure out just how much she won.

Debra Christianson, of Lake Mills, soon realized she was a $30,000 winner courtesy of the Iowa Lottery.

Christianson told lottery officials she purchased a $3 ticket for the $30,000 Crossword game, in which you have to scratch at least three complete words to win the corresponding prize on the ticket.

The 64-year-old woman scratched off the ticket at her kitchen table and experienced an indescribable feeling.

“I couldn’t tell if it was nine or 10 words, I was just so excited and shaking,” she told lottery officials while accepting her prize on Monday, Jan. 30. “I was trying to count them as I was scratching them off, and then I’d lose count and start all over.”

With her husband’s help, they counted the numbers and realized she was the jackpot winner. The odds of winning the $30,000 prize were 1-in-119,932.45.

Christianson’s husband couldn’t quite believe the jackpot win, however. It wasn’t until they verified the ticket the next day that he realized his wife’s winning ticket was legitimate.

“I don’t know if it’s really sunk in yet,” said Christianson, who told lottery officials she plans to use the winnings toward home improvement costs.

This story was originally published February 1, 2023 at 12:31 PM with the headline "$3 lottery ticket left Iowa woman ‘excited and shaking.’ But her husband was skeptical."