CLIVE, Iowa — A Des Moines man won the top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s Lucky For Life game, and he’s planning on using the money to move closer to his family.
Shelby Willis, 64, claimed his prize at the Iowa Lottery headquarters on Tuesday. His ticket matched all six of the winning numbers in Friday’s drawing. The numbers were 2-7-19-42-47 and Lucky Ball 4.
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Willis told the Iowa Lottery when he claimed his prize that he planned on using the money to help him move closer to his two daughters and his brother, who live on the East Coast. He specifically plans on moving to New Jersey and he said that once he gets there he plans on purchasing some Yankee tickets, as he’s been a fan since the 1970s.
“This is important,” he said. “This is going to change things for myself, my children and my grandchildren. So I’ve got to do it right.”
Willis chose the lump-sum option for his prize, which totaled to $5.75 million — enough to allow him to retire after working in the security business for years.