Craig Leighton, of Griswold

Officials with the Iowa Lottery say a Cass County man has claimed the top prize in the “Monopoly” instant-scratch ticket game. Craig Leighton, from Griswold, claimed his $50,000 prize last Friday at the Iowa Lottery’s regional office in Council Bluffs. He’d purchased his winning ticket at a convenience store in Council Bluffs.

MONOPOLY is a $5 scratch game. Players win a prize by matching any of “your numbers” to any of the “winning numbers.” If they find the “top hat” symbol they win double the prize shown. There are also three bonus areas where players can win $10, $25 or $50 instantly. Seventeen top prizes are still up for grabs in MONOPOLY as well as 266 prizes of $1,000, more than 1,060 prizes of $200 and more than 2,650 prizes of $100.

Since the lottery’s start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.7 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.3 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program.