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Lottery player had ‘nervous’ thoughts after winning Iowa prize. ‘Get home and hide it’

A man from Elliott, Iowa, won $10,000 playing the Hit the Jackpot lottery game.
A man from Elliott, Iowa, won $10,000 playing the Hit the Jackpot lottery game. Mackenzie Marco via Unsplash

Excited at the realization he just won a top prize in an Iowa Lottery game, a 51-year-old quickly became nervous.

The thoughts for Lynn Young, of Elliott, were to get home as quickly as he could and hide the winning ticket, he told Iowa Lottery officials.

Young won $10,000 in the lottery’s Hit the Jackpot game after purchasing a ticket at a Tiger Mart convenience store.

“I took a double-take and was like, ‘No way, I won $10,000!” Young told lottery officials.

The odds of winning a $10,000 prize in the game are 1-in-24,000. Hit the Jackpot offers a top prize of $250,000.

“The only thing I could think of was put it in my billfold, get out of town, get home and hide it,” Young said.

He said he plans to use his winnings to pay off debt.

Elliott is in southwestern Iowa about 50 miles southeast of Omaha, Nebraska.

BEHIND THE STORY

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When gambling is more than a game

Gambling is designed to be a source of entertainment.

If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website.

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This story was originally published March 21, 2023 at 9:53 AM with the headline "Lottery player had ‘nervous’ thoughts after winning Iowa prize. ‘Get home and hide it’."

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Mike Stunson
Lexington Herald-Leader
Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. 
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