CLIVE, Iowa (KCAU) — A Sergeant Bluff man said he and his fiancée are planning a down payment on a house now that they are $50,000 richer.

According to a release, Aaron Brown of Sergeant Bluff won the 39th top prize in the Iowa Lottery’s “$50,000 Super Crossword” scratch game. Brown said he and his fiancée like to play the lottery together. They purchased tickets from the self-service kiosk at Pilot Travel Center, 2815 Singing Hills Blvd. in Sioux City.

“I get her and I both two tickets apiece,” Brown said. “I let her pick which ones she wants and she chose the wrong ones.”

They scratched their tickets when they returned home. Brown said he initially thought his prize was much smaller.

“At first I thought it was only a $5,000 winner until I double-checked it and realized that I’d missed a letter,” he said.

He said that both he and his fiancée were surprised when he counted up his words and realized he’d won one of the game’s top prizes.

“She didn’t believe it until I went and checked it at the gas station,” he said.

Brown, who is a regular at the gas station where he purchased his tickets, said he returned to the store later with $100 gifts for three of the store’s longtime employees.

The $50,000 Super Crossword is a $5 scratch game that features overall odds of 1 in 3.53. For more information about this game, and the number of prizes still available, visit the Iowa Lottery website.