Davenport Man Claims Prize of $25,000 a Year for Life in Lucky for Life Game

It's not the 1 billion dollar prize, but it is still life-altering money! A man from Davenport Iowa claimed a Prize of $25,000 a Year for Life in the Lucky for Life Game.

It's The 3rd Iowa Ticket This Year To Win At That Prize Level

The Win

On Saturday night one Davenport man decided to buy a lottery ticket on a spur-of-the-moment decision. What a great decision that was, because he ended up winning $25,000 a year for life!

"All I can tell you is, I'm excited," Steve Allen said. "That's the biggest part: shocked that I won."

The Backstory

Steve Allen is a 59-year-old retired U.S. Navy Veteran. On the day he bought the ticket he was helping a friend with a remodeling project. The friend asked him to run to the store for a bag of ice. Allen bought the ice and used his spare change to buy some easy-pick plays for Saturday's drawing in the Lucky for Life® game.

He didn't think much of the tickets the rest of the day. That night, before he was about to fall asleep he decided to check the drawing results. Allen matched the first five numbers but missed the Lucky Ball. He ended up winning the game's second prize of $25,000 a year for life.

The winning numbers in Saturday's Lucky for Life drawing were: 1-10-32-37-41 and Lucky Ball 8.

Claiming The Prize

Allen claimed his prize on Monday at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

"I was so excited, for two days I was really having trouble getting to sleep. After it finally wore off a little bit, then I kind of eased up a little bit. But it's exciting. Believe me, it's exciting."
Allen is Iowa's 16th big winner in the Lucky for Life game since its January 2016 debut in Iowa. His ticket was the third purchased in 2022 in Iowa to win at the $25,000 a year for life prize level. (Iowa Lottery)

Allen bought his winning ticket at the Express Lane Gas & Food Mart, 1102 W. Front St. in Buffalo.

The Express Lane Gas & Food Mart will receive a $500 bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.

What To Do With The Money

Allen said he planned to pay off his mortgage and his car, then invest the rest of his winnings for retirement.

"That will help ease the financial burden a little bit knowing that you've got a little back-up in there for a rainy day and such," he said.

The word was spreading quickly in Buffalo about his win. "Being from a small town, it's really fast that the word gets out," he said. "It's a pretty close-knit community."

Explain The Game

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The game's top two prize levels are described as "lasting as long as you do," meaning that they are truly for life. The minimum guaranteed payout for those two prize levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option for players who would prefer that rather than lifetime annuity payments. Allen chose to receive his winnings in the lump-sum amount of $390,000. (Iowa Lottery)

Players in Lucky for Life choose five numbers from a pool of 48 for the white balls and one out of 18 numbers for the Lucky Ball. Players can win the game's top prize of $1,000 a day for life by matching all six numbers selected in one of its drawings. The game's second prize - for matching the first five numbers but missing the Lucky Ball - is $25,000 a year for life. Other prize levels in the game range from $3 up to $5,000. (Iowa Lottery)