Lottery player unknowingly had a winning ticket in car. ‘Almost fell off my chair’
An Iowa man’s winning lottery ticket rode around in his car for a week before he thought to scratch it off, revealing he was a winner.
Esaie Kpati won $100,000 in the Iowa Lottery’s Lucky Numbers Game Book scratch-off. He purchased the winning ticket at a Yesway convenience store in Southeastern Iowa, according to the Iowa Lottery.
“I saw that type of money and I almost fell off my chair,” he said.
The 38-year-old said he and his wife were in disbelief, checking the winning ticket over and over before reality set in.
“And then we realized that yes, it was true,” Kpati told the Iowa Lottery. “My son was just jumping and hugging me. It was one of the best moments.”
Kpati, who works at a beverage company, said he plans to use his winnings to pay off debt and invest the rest. He told lottery officials he was still stunned when he went to pick up his prize on Monday, Feb. 10.
“I had to pinch myself again to remind myself it’s really me: ‘Am I dreaming or what’s really going on?’” Kpati said. “And on to today, I still try to wrap my head around it. It’s unbelievable.”
Lucky Numbers Game Book is a $20 scratch-off game. It features six pages of games, 15 top prizes of $100,000, 15 prizes of $10,000 and overall odds of 1 in 2.51, according to the Iowa Lottery website.
This story was originally published February 11, 2025 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Lottery player unknowingly had a winning ticket in car. ‘Almost fell off my chair’."
