Lottery winner hits ‘the big one’ while buying wife energy drink. ‘It was disbelief’

A lottery player thought he was going to have a cardiac event when he saw his lottery prize — one he referred to as “the big one.”

David Holverson, a 64-year-old business owner from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said he purchased the $30,000 Crossword scratch-off ticket while buying his wife an energy drink at a Kum & Go convenience store.

A jackpot prize awaited.

“It was disbelief,” Holverson told Iowa Lottery officials in a Nov. 14 news release. “I just thought I was going to have a heart attack. My palms were sweating, my heart was racing. It was a big adrenaline rush.”

He initially thought he only won $30, but when he scanned the ticket on the Iowa Lottery’s app, it revealed his $30,000 win.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he told lottery officials. “I was thrilled. Never in a million years did I think I’d hit the big one.”

Holverson said he’ll use his winnings to pay down debt and purchase diamond earrings for his wife.

Odds of winning the jackpot prize in the $30,000 Crossword game are 1-in-119,932. Holverson won the 34th to prize.

This story was originally published November 16, 2023 at 10:14 AM with the headline "Lottery winner hits ‘the big one’ while buying wife energy drink. ‘It was disbelief’."