Iowa man wins $100,000 from birthday gift lottery ticket
July 23 (UPI) -- An Iowa man received a scratch-off lottery ticket as a gift from a friend and scored a $100,000 birthday surprise.
Des Moines man Christian Johnson told Iowa Lottery officials he was celebrating his 42nd birthday with friends when they presented him with a card containing a few scratch-off tickets.
Johnson said he handed one of the tickets to his girlfriend to finish scratching and she called his attention to it.
"She just was like, 'You need to look at this! You need to look at this!' " Johnson said. "I didn't think it was real at first. I'm like, there's no way! It's got to be a joke."
The ticket, a $100,000 Mega Crossword game, had been purchased by his friend, Diana Ballentine, at Best Food Mart on East 14th Street in Des Moines.
"I don't think it's hit me completely," Johnson said. "I am floored. I couldn't sleep at all last night waiting to come down here."
He said he hasn't decided what to do with his money yet, but it will give him some peace of mind.
"It definitely came at a perfect time," he said. "It's a blessing for sure."
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