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Iowa Lottery
Iowa Lottery
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Some families always play the same lottery numbers week after week. Those supposed "lucky" numbers often don't pan out. Sometimes, a simple mistake can lead to a big payday.

Steve and  Barbara Haley of Sioux City always play the same Powerball numbers, based around birthdays in the family. However, for the January 23 drawing, Steve wasn't wearing his glasses when he chose the numbers. Barbara told the Iowa Lottery,

When he filled it out, he accidentally put an 8 instead of a 9. We thought we were going to get $300. Because he put an 8 instead, we got $150,000.

The Haley's were just one number away from winning the $23.2 million jackpot that night but $149,700 ahead of where they would have been if Steve had chosen the 'right' numbers. Barbara actually purchased the ticket and did the $1 Power Play add-on, which tripled the couple's prize from $50,000 to $150,000.

What's just as incredible about this story is that for days, Barbara and Steve assumed they had a $300 ticket. When they went to purchase groceries, Steve took the ticket along to cash it in. Barbara had just started shopping when she got paged to customer service. She assumed Steve couldn't figure out where she was in the store. It turned out she was in for a terrific surprise, all thanks to her husband's bad eyesight.

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