A Dubuque man bought a lottery ticket on April Fools’ Day and thought to himself that if he was lucky, he was lucky. And if not, oh well.
Then came the moment when he checked his ticket at the local store where he bought it and was told that he’d won the biggest jackpot in the history of the Lotto America game. Earl Lape says even he thought it was a joke. It took a few hours for the news to sink in.
Earl, a retired mechanic, chose to receive his winnings in the lump-sum option of $21.28 million. He plans to invest the money so it can help his family for generations. He also is planning donations to organizations that benefit children with medical needs, specifically the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in Iowa City, and Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines.
Earl says he knows that a lot of parents can't afford the medical treatment that their children need, and with his donations, he can make a difference to help.
Earl’s jackpot-winning ticket matched all six numbers in the April 1 Lotto America drawing, which were: 2-38-43-46-51 and Star Ball® 7. The jackpot that night was a record for the Lotto America game: $40.03 million annuity, $21.28 million cash option.
Earl says he likes to play Lotto America because it has better odds of winning than the larger multi-state games, Powerball® and Mega Millions®.
Lotto America is known as Powerball’s smaller cousin. The game costs $1 to play and has drawings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. It has the same playstyle as Powerball, with players selecting numbers from two separate pools for a chance to win. But Lotto America’s jackpots start at a smaller level and the game has easier odds of winning. Lotto America is sold by 13 lotteries, while Powerball is offered by 48.
One of the first people Earl shared his jackpot news with was Randy Davis, his best friend since childhood. Randy was with Earl for moral support as he claimed his prize, and says he also initially didn’t believe it. But Randy says Earl stuck with the story, so he started to think it might be true.
Before Earl won the jackpot, he was in the process of buying the home of his long-time girlfriend who passed away in August 2022. He says that winning the lottery will mean he can pay for the house as well as the repairs and updates it needs.
Earl bought his jackpot-winning ticket at Eichman’s, a restaurant and convenience store at 11941 U.S. Highway 52 N. in Dubuque that’s a regular stop for him. Eichman’s will receive a $5,000 bonus from the Iowa Lottery for selling the jackpot-winning Lotto America ticket.
This is the second Lotto America jackpot won in Iowa. A Davenport man won a $4.38 million jackpot in the game in May 2018.
