Iowa Teacher Feels ‘Set Up For Life’ After $2 Million Win

Lisa Hays, 49, played two lines in the drawing on Saturday February 9th and added Power Play. She bought her ticket from Hy-Vee, 3140 Agency St. in Burlington, Iowa. When she checked her first line, she saw that she had matched the Powerball and won $12. Looking at her second play, she had matched all five main numbers and just missed the Powerball.

Recalling the moment that she realized she had become a millionaire, Hays told the Iowa Lottery: “I saw, ‘Wait a minute, there’s five numbers here!’ So I called my mom and had her look at it.” Hays was aware that she could have won the jackpot if the numbers from her two lines had been combined differently. “But $2 million is great!” she said with a laugh. “I’ve been freaking out for a week.”

Hays has no plans to give up her job as a teaching assistant as she loves it too much, but she knows that the big win should guarantee her long-term financial security and allow her to fulfil many ambitions. “If i do it right, this should set me up for the rest of my life,” said Hays, who wants to buy a house and a new car.

While Hays came forward just over a week after the drawing took pace, she had already shared the news before visiting the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive, making no attempt to keep it under wraps. She said: “Everyone at work knows! And car dealerships from when I was looking for a car.”

Make Sure To Claim Prizes In Time

Hays was eager to come forward quickly and claim her prize, but other winners prefer to bide their time and seek out independent advice before making contact with lottery officials. You just have to make sure that  you claim your prize within the time period set out by your state, otherwise you will miss out on your money.

The deadline for claiming prizes differs from state to state, but unfortunately a number of big prizes do go unclaimed every year. A $1 million prize from Louisiana is set to expire on Thursday February 21st, and officials have made a last-ditch plea for the winner to come forward.

The winning ticket was sold in New Orleans, at the Ideal Mart at 447 N.Rampart St. at the edge of the French Quarter. Rose Hudson, president of the Louisiana Lottery, said that winners should treat tickets like cash until they have staked their claim. “It is also a good idea to sign the back of the ticket for security purposes.”

Go to the Unclaimed Prizes page to see a list of the big Powerball prizes that have still not been claimed, including details of where the winning tickets were sold and the last date to come forward.

Powerball Jackpot Nears $300 Million

There will be another chance to win a Powerball prize on Wednesday night, when the jackpot will be worth $282 million. The jackpot has been growing since New York truck driver David Johnson won $298 million on December 26th.

It could well hit $300 million if there is another rollover on Wednesday, and you can find out straight away if there has been a winner by going to the Powerball Numbers page after the draw.