Man wins big on lottery ticket he got at his birthday party. ‘Got to be a joke’
Friends baked a cake and filled a card with Iowa scratch-off tickets to celebrate their friend’s birthday after he finished work for the day.
Christian Johnson, 42, gathered with his friends and girlfriend in Des Moines for the celebration with the hopes that the lottery tickets could turn into an even/ larger gift, Iowa lottery officials said in a June 22 news release.
Johnson scratched off the first two tickets but didn’t win. He scratched off part of the third ticket and also thought he didn’t win, so he handed the ticket to his girlfriend.
She continued scratching and revealed what she believed to be the top prize.
“She just was like, ‘You need to look at this! You need to look at this!’” Johnson told officials. His birthday ticket, despite his original thought, was a $100,000 winner.
“I didn’t think it was real at first. I’m like, there’s no way! It’s got to be a joke,” he said, according to the news release.
The big winner hasn’t decided what he plans to use the money for, he said.
“I don’t think it’s hit me completely,” he said as he claimed his prize. “I am floored. I couldn’t sleep at all last night waiting to come down here.”
He said the win came at the “perfect time,” according to officials.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Man wins big on lottery ticket he got at his birthday party. ‘Got to be a joke’."
