An Eastern Iowa Man Just Claimed a Massive Lottery Prize

There's been a whole lot of lottery talk recently. Let's call in "Lotto Fever". With the recent massive 1+ billion dollar Mega Millions win for someone (still unknown) in Illinois, there's been a lot of folks, many here in Iowa, saying, SHOW ME THE MONEY!

We do know that one Black Hawk county resident was sitting on a pile of dough as we reported a little over a week ago. But we didn't know who they were. Well, until now...

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The Iowa Lottery game the lucky winner played is one that's been in the news a lot lately here in the Hawkeye State: Lucky for Life. The grand prize is $1,000 a day for your entire life, which you'd get if you can match 5 white balls and the extra Lucky Ball. Our winner scored the second-best prize, $25,000 a year for life. This is accomplished by matching the 5 white balls (and not the Lucky Ball).

A little quick history, Lucky for Life is not exclusive to Iowa. In fact, the game is played in 17 other states as well. That makes winning the prize this Black Hawk resident won more impressive.

67-year-old Joe Kapaun was the winner of the $25K for life prize and waited to step forward because, according to a press release from the Iowa Lottery, Kapaun had heard if you win a large prize, you need to get your ducks in a row before you claim it.

Whenever the lottery like Mega Millions or Powerball gets really huge, there are all these articles that pop up about what you should do if you win, and I read those more than once. And having a plan is the smart thing to do.

After making his plan, Kapaun stepped out of the shadows to claim his massive prize. He says he plans to pay off some debt, invest, and maybe even make a "mad money" purchase.

Kapaun, who owns an engineering consulting firm, didn't say if he plans to retire. The winning ticket was purchased at a Git N Go Convenience Store in Hudson.