He ‘Just Went With It’ & Won $1 Million Prize

Now here’s a great story to start off the New Year! A mistake during his ticket purchase has led to a $1 million lottery win for a West Des Moines man.

Arturo Hernandez claimed the eighth and final top prize in the “Lifetime Riches” scratch game today. He said he went to a local convenience store to buy lottery tickets and the clerk accidentally sold him a couple from a different game than the one he’d intended to play. But he said he just went with it, took his tickets home to play them – and won big!

And when we asked Hernandez, 23, why he thinks all that happened, he had a simple explanation: “I just figure things happen for a reason.”

Hernandez’s family owns a local business and he said his lottery win comes at a perfect time: Their restaurant, El Rey Burritos in West Des Moines, is currently moving to a new location, so his prize winnings can help cover some of the moving costs.

Hernandez’s prize claim triggered the $20 Lifetime Riches game to be removed from sale. As part of its standard procedures, we end sales in our scratch games for a few different reasons, including when the last top prize has been claimed.

Players had the option of receiving the top prize in Lifetime Riches in annuitized payments over time or as a one-time, lump-sum payment. Winners who chose the annuity option would receive $40,000 per year for 25 years. Winner who chose the lump-sum payment received $650,000 before taxes. Hernandez chose the lump-sum option.

And the store where he got his winning ticket? Kum & Go, 1301 Eighth St. in West Des Moines. Nice mistake, Arturo!

And by the way, we’ve had three other big scratch-game winners today as well:  
•    Lloyd Moore of Granger claimed the sixth of ten top prizes of $50,000 available in the “Instantly Rich” game;
•    Brad Zipse of Northwood claimed the first of seven top prizes of $50,000 in the “Make My Month” game;
•    and Connie Jo Kelly of Pella claimed the first of six top prizes of $100,000 in “Make My Year”!
Whew, what a day! (And it’s not over yet!)