Cedar Rapids, Iowa, man Dwayne Wilson almost threw away a forgotten ticket before discovering it was worth $15,625 and plans to buy new tyres.
Dwayne Wilson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was cleaning out his car when he nearly threw away something worth $15,625.
Wilson, 56, found a Pick 4 ticket he had purchased at Casey’s on 16th Avenue Southwest in Cedar Rapids while clearing out the centre console of his vehicle.
“I was really, truly about to throw it away because I had so much in my center console,” Wilson said while claiming his prize at the Iowa Lottery’s Cedar Rapids regional office. “I said, ‘Let me just check it first.’”
That decision turned out to be a fortunate one.
Wilson discovered that the ticket had won in the July 18 midday Pick 4 drawing. He had made a $5 straight/box wager, meaning the ticket could win if the four numbers were matched in any order. However, Wilson had matched the numbers in the exact order drawn: 2-3-1-0.
Even after seeing the winning result on the store’s self-checker, Wilson was not immediately convinced.
He checked the ticket three more times to make sure the result was genuine.
The unexpected prize now has a practical purpose. Wilson said he plans to put some of his winnings towards a new set of tyres for his vehicle and a life insurance policy.
What could easily have ended up in the rubbish instead became an unexpected $15,625 prize, all because Wilson decided to check the forgotten ticket one more time.
