A Navy veteran from Iowa is starting the year with a life-changing lottery win.
On Tuesday, Jan. 13, Jaime Zavala claimed a $3 million prize at the Iowa Lottery’s main office in Clive after his Mega Millions ticket matched the first five numbers. He was just one number short of the $900 million jackpot, according to Iowa Lottery officials.
The win put Zavala among just three people nationwide to take home a prize of $3 million or more from that drawing — with the other big winners located in New York and Arizona.
Zavala purchased his ticket for the Veterans Day drawing at the Kwik Star convenience store at 1200 Chatham Ave. in Norwalk. He told lottery officials he plans to use most of the money to pay down his mortgage and replace his 10-year-old pickup truck, which has logged more than 250,000 miles.
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How Mega Millions Works
In Mega Millions, players choose five numbers from a pool of 70, then select one additional number — the Mega Ball — from a separate pool of 24. The game also includes a multiplier on each play that can increase non-jackpot prizes by as much as 10 times.
Zavala’s win came shortly after another player — who chose to remain anonymous — claimed a major Mega Millions payout in Georgia, according to a press release from the Georgia Lottery. That winner took the cash option for a jackpot won two months earlier, receiving about $452.6 million before taxes.
After seeing a roadside billboard, the winner said they were prompted to buy a ticket. They also told lottery officials they are from Georgia and have family members who have benefited from the Georgia Lottery-funded HOPE Scholarship. The winner added that they want the prize to become “generational” and plan to give back to good causes.
