Charles City man plans dream trip after $100,000 scratch ticket win

To The Press

A Charles City man is planning the trip of a lifetime after winning a $100,000 lottery prize.

“I’m definitely going to kill the biggest thing on my bucket list: I’m going to the baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.,” Brian Staudt, 60, told officials on Monday as he claimed his “Spectacular Riches” scratch prize at the lottery’s regional office in Mason City.

“I’ve always wanted to go there,” he said. “This is a fine opportunity to get that done.”

Staudt said a bout of absentmindedness set the stage for his big lottery win.

He intended to purchase a Powerball ticket on a recent grocery trip, but forgot. On the way home, he stopped for another grocery item he’d missed on his shopping list, but again forgot a lottery ticket.

He eventually visited Casey’s in Charles City and bought a handful of scratch tickets, including two tickets in the $10 Spectacular Riches game.

“I get home and the first ticket I scratched was the $100,000 winner,” Staudt said. “So, being forgetful and stupid kind of pays off sometimes.”

Staudt said he was in disbelief after uncovering the game’s eighth and final top prize.

“I did not get any sleep Saturday night, let’s put it this way,” he said with a laugh. “When you see $100 or $1,000, you get excited, but when you see lots of zeros behind that thing, you get real excited.”

Staudt’s win means the end of that particular scratch game. Once the final top prize in a game is claimed, distribution ends and the game is pulled from shelves, according to the Iowa Lottery.

For more information about Iowa Lottery scratch games, and the number of prizes still available, visit ialottery.com.