A woman from central Iowa felt an adrenaline rush after scratching off a ticket with a top prize ahead of going to work.
The Iowa Lottery confirmed that Reyna Serna-Garcia, a 25-year-old Ankeny resident, became the latest winner to score a six-figure prize from a popular scratch-off game.
Ahead of work, the fortunate player stopped at the Filling Station on 2400 University Blvd. in Ames to buy breakfast.
Serna-Garcia decided to try her luck with a $10 scratch-off ticket, and she chose the recently launched Triple Red 777s.
The woman didn't wait long and just before entering her office, she scratched off the ticket while in her car.
Speaking to Lottery officials, Serna-Garcia recalled the moment she realized she had won one of the game's top prizes for a sweet $100,000 payday.
The woman said: "I scan it in my app, and I'm like, 'You're kidding! This is – what?!"
She then went on to say: "I'm just shaking. It's just an adrenaline rush. Very overwhelming. Speechless, clueless, mindless, but in a great way."
The lucky lottery player visited the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive on Wednesday to claim her big prize.
Speaking about the day of the big win, Serna-Garcia said that she called her husband, Salvador, on FaceTime to give him the good news.
"He had the biggest smile on his face, close to the same smile I saw the day we got married," the Ankeny resident said.
Moreover, Serna-Garcia pointed out: "He was like, 'You're kidding! This is not true!' Big old grin on his face."
It hasn't even been a year since the couple got married, considering their wedding was in May.
Asked by Lottery officials about her plans for the big win, Serna-Garcia said she will use part of the winnings to pay off her car, settle debts and plan an exciting vacation for their upcoming one-year anniversary in May.
The Iowa Lottery launched Triple Red 777s on January 3, 2025.
Each ticket costs $10 per play and grants lottery players a chance to win a prize between $10 and $100,000.
The odds of winning the top prize are 1 in 125,901.43.
On the other hand, the overall odds of winning any prize from Triple Red 777s are 1 in 2.98.
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