The 78-year-old said he purchased his ticket earlier this month at Villisca Foods, 509 S. Third Ave. in Villisca. Currin said that’s where he always buys his lottery tickets. Currin, who is retired from United Farmers Mercantile Cooperative, said he plans to save his lottery winnings.

Eight top prizes of $30,000 are still up for grabs in Holiday Word Bank, as well as nine prizes of $3,000, 15 prizes of $500, 75 prizes of $300 and 189 prizes of $100. Since the lottery’s start in 1985, its players have won more than $3.3 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.5 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.

Today, 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, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.