Eastern Iowa Woman Wins $100,000 Top Prize From Iowa Lottery

Lately, there has been a lot of winning happening in Eastern Iowa. Over the course of the last month, seven people in the Eastern Iowa area have won huge prizes with the Iowa Lottery. The biggest winner comes from Iowa's island city, Sabula.

Bobbi Jo Bratcher, 54, of Sabula won $100,000 playing the "100,000 Mega Crossword." Bratcher said it's the third time she's had a big win on a Crossword scratch ticket, according to the Iowa Lottery.

Bratcher said her winnings have come over the span of more than a decade, but she still thinks the moniker of Crossword Queen has a nice ring to it. She bought her latest winning ticket at K&J's Shop 'n Hop, 416 Broad St. in Sabula. She claimed her prize Tuesday at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

Bratcher, who works as the billing clerk for the City of Sabula, said the excitement of winning never gets old. "I just started shaking, and a million things go through your head," Bratcher said.

Bratcher said she will use her prize money to pay off her car and build a garage

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7 Eastern Iowa People Score Big Iowa Lottery Prizes

It's been a crazy month for seven lucky winners in the Eastern Iowa area. That's right, five people have scored really big prizes playing games with the Iowa Lottery.

Stephen Owens of Wilton won $10,000 playing the MegaMillions.

"I beat leukemia and I'm still alive," Stephen Owens said on Tuesday, Aug. 27th, as he claimed his prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "This is kind of a small win after winning the game of life."

Owens, 55, matched four of five white balls and the Mega Ball in Friday's Mega Millions drawing. He was one number away from winning that night's $535 million jackpot.

Owens bought his ticket during a stop for tortillas at Jeff's Market, 101 E. Fourth St. in Wilton. He checked his winning numbers a couple of days after the drawing.

"I thought, 'Oh, this is a pretty good one!'" he said to the Iowa Lottery. "I was pretty thrilled. That's a fun amount of money."

Right down the road in Walcott, Keri Kraft won a $10,000 lottery prize and said her celebration captured the attention of her family pet.

"I did a little bit more than a 'woo-hoo,'" Keri Kraft said with a laugh on Wednesday, Aug. 28th, as she claimed her prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "My dog came running and thought I'd fallen or something," she told lottery officials.

Kraft won the 10th prize of $10,000 in the Iowa Lottery's "Beat the Heat" scratch game. She bought her ticket at Casey's, 504 Fifth St. in Durant, where she'd stopped on her way home from a haircut. She uncovered the big prize when she got home and quickly showed the winning ticket to her husband.

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On August 30th, Travis Claussen from DeWitt became a $10,000 winner running a routine errand. "I just stopped at the gas station to get some drinks for the kids and me and then decided to grab two scratch tickets and I won," Claussen, 37, told the Iowa Lottery.

Claussen purchased his winning "Beat the Heat" ticket at MJs East, 206 E. 11th St. in DeWitt, and claimed his prize Friday at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

On Sept. 3rd,  a Clinton man became the first $50,000 top prize winner in the Iowa Lottery's exclusive 'Cyclone™” scratch game, just days before the big Iowa vs. Iowa State football game.

Jeffrey Rickertsen purchased his winning ticket at Kwik Star, 911 S. 14th St. in Clinton, and claimed his prize at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

As you read at the top, the "Crossword Queen," Bobbi Jo Bratcher of Sabula won $100,000 playing the "100,000 Mega Crossword," and also claimed her prize on Sept. 3rd.

Bratcher bought her latest winning ticket at K&J's Shop 'n Hop, 416 Broad St. in Sabula. She claimed her prize Tuesday at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

A Muscatine man's weekly tradition spanning more than five years scored him a $10,000 Iowa Lottery prize. Mike Morgan, 61, told lottery officials, "I buy two tickets. One for myself and one for my wife."

On Wednesday, Morgan did as he has always done. He went to Casey's, 3509 Steamboat Way in Muscatine, and bought his tickets. One of them was a "$100,000 Mega Crossword" and it was a big winner. He claimed his prize on Friday, Sept. 13th at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

Speaking of Friday the 13th... Normally, that's an unlucky day, unless you're Mindy Long of Burlington who won a $10,000 Iowa Lottery prize.

Long, 48, purchased her winning "$100,000 Mega Crossword" scratch ticket at Circle K, 333 N. Roosevelt Ave. in Burlington. She claimed her prize Monday at the lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.