Guess How Much Someone Just Won in the Lotto in Johnston?

A Des Moines woman won the 32nd of 97 top prizes of $30,000 playing the lottery’s “Crossword” instant-scratch game.

Debra Mutchler claimed her prize Friday at the Iowa Lottery’s headquarters in Des Moines. She purchased her winning ticket at Quik Trip, 5169 Merle Hay Road in Johnston.

Crossword is a $3 scratch game. Players win a prize by uncovering at least three complete words in the ticket’s puzzle. If a player uncovers 10 words, he/she wins $30,000. The overall odds of winning a prize in the game are 1 in 3.82.

Sixty-five top prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in Crossword, as well as 94 prizes of $3,000, more than 1,290 prizes of $300 and more than 6,200 prizes of $100.

Since the lottery’s start in 1985, its players have won more than $3 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.4 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.