We’ve all dreamt about scoring a major lottery prize and holding a giant cheque with our name, and Tyler Heep got to live the dream – despite the fact he only won $1. This hilarious man asked lottery officials if they could print out a massive novelty check instead of paying him out, and they agreed!
People who win $1 on a scratch-off ticket usually don’t bother driving to lottery headquarters, but Heep saw is an opportunity to get something he’s always wanted.
“I told them I’d like one of those big ceremonial checks as payment. I figured it would be worth a shot and they all thought it was really funny. I’m surprised nobody else has done this before,” wrote Heep on Facebook.
Representatives of Iowa Lottery aren’t the only ones who were impressed by his sense of humour. Local store Benjamin’s Custom Framing and Fine Art offered to frame his giant cheque, and several media outlets got in touch with Heep and asked him to describe the viral moment.
“They decided to treat me just like a million dollar winner. The guy came down the stairs and they took me into the back room where the camera was with the Iowa Lottery logo. Sure enough they wrote me the one dollar cheque and had me hold it up and took the picture,” recalled Heep in an interview with NBC 13 News.
This lucky Iowa resident might not be a millionaire, but his story proves you don’t have to hit the jackpot to feel like a winner. Let’s hope he keeps buying tickets, and comes back to the lottery headquarters to hold a cheque that’s actually worth a fortune.