Davenport man wins 25k every year for life

CLIVE, Iowa (KWQC) - It may not be the biggest jackpot prize, but it’s still a lot of money for Steve Allen of Davenport. He bought a lottery ticket at the spur-of-the-moment Saturday and wound up winning $25,000 a year for life, according to the Iowa lottery office.

The 59-year-old retired U.S. Navy veteran said he was helping a friend with a remodeling project in Buffalo, Iowa when he ran to the Express Lane Gas and Food Mart to get a bag of ice. He decided to spend the change on a ticket for the Lucky for Life game.

He checked the drawing results and realized he matched the first five numbers, to win the game’s second place prize of $25,000 a year for life.

“I was so excited, for two days I was really having trouble getting to sleep,” Allen said as he claimed his prize Monday at the Iowa Lottery headquarters in Clive.

Lucky for Life is a $2 game with drawings each night. The minimum guaranteed payout levels is 20 years, and there is a lump-sum option. Allen chose to receive his winnings in the lump-sum amount of $390,000.

He said he planned to pay off his mortgage and his car, then invest the rest of his winnings for retirement.