$60 lottery win leads to much bigger prize for Iowa man. ‘It’s overwhelming’

With $60 in winnings from a previous lottery win, an Iowa man opted to push his luck by purchasing a six-page lottery book.

Matthew Rus, who purchased the $20 Lucky Numbers Game Book at a convenience store in Pella, was scratching off the book’s games late that night when he hesitated going to bed.

Sleep could wait for Rus, who won big on the sixth and final page of the book.

“I got to the last page of the book and was like, ‘I need to get to bed,’ so I scratched the bar code, scanned it and that’s when I saw that I had won $10,000,” Rus told Iowa Lottery officials.

The $10,000 win is one of 15 offered in the game. There are also 15 top prizes of $100,000.

Rus already has plans for his winnings — purchasing a new washer and dryer. But clean clothes pale in comparison to what he’s most excited about.

“I always stop in a gas station, and I’ll always see those people, and it’s like $10,000, $10,000, $50,000,” Rus said. “But for me to actually see my face on that, that’s going to be the best part.”

He told lottery officials he is “still a little shocked” following his win.

“It’s overwhelming, “ the lottery winner said.

Pella is about 45 miles southeast of Des Moines.

This story was originally published May 30, 2023 at 12:59 PM with the headline "$60 lottery win leads to much bigger prize for Iowa man. ‘It’s overwhelming’."