2006 Press Releases

February 07, 2006

TWO DELAWARE POWERBALL® WINNERS CLAIM TOTAL OF
$1 MILLION FROM FEBRUARY 1 DRAWING

Dover, DE -- A 58-year-old Landenberg, Pa., man and 37-year-old single mother of three from Laurel, Del., have come forward as the winners of the February 1 POWERBALL® prizes of $800,000 and $200,000, respectfully. The two winners each matched five of six numbers, but the Bear winner received an extra $600,000 because he purchased the prize-multiplying Power Play option for an extra $1.

"I play about once a week and always buy five POWERBALL® tickets and five Power Plays," said the $800,000 winner, who works in Bear, Del., and bought his ticket from the Giant Food Store there. "If I win $2.00, I say I'm a winner. This win is a once in a lifetime experience." He plans on using the money to pay off his children's college loans and save much of the rest for his retirement. "I still have two more years of working," the lucky man said. "This just makes things a little more comfortable."

In contrast to her upstate counterpart, the Laurel winner is not a regular player, but she will be now. "I was buying a gallon of milk and figured 'What the heck? I'll take two POWERBALL® tickets,'" she said. "And they both hit!"

When checking her tickets at Bargain Bill's in Laurel, which is also where she purchased them, the woman learned her first ticket was worth $4.00. Then, after checking the second, the cashier ran to find her manager. "I was happy with the $4.00," the winner joked. "I was all set to buy four more tickets, then I heard the news and couldn't believe it. I thought I was on Candid Camera." It took the Bargain Bill's employees ten minutes to convince her that she really had won.

When it finally sunk in, she immediately knew she would buy a new mini-van and purchase a larger home for her family. She can also now afford to move her 80-year-old grandmother, who has been ill and lives in Pennsylvania, closer to her. "We couldn't be more excited," she said. "I'll have three teenagers soon, so I really want more bathrooms. I can afford a nice down payment now. It's a blessing."

Both winners have chosen to remain anonymous.

With no grand prizewinner, the total POWERBALL® jackpot for the February 8 drawing has now reached $210 million. With such a large jackpot for POWERBALL®, Delaware Lottery Officials remind players to play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the Delaware Gambling Helpline at 1-888-850-8888.

To check your potentially winning number, call the Delaware Lottery hotline at 1-800-338-6200.

Since the start of operations in 1975, the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than $2.1 billion to the state's General Fund to help finance needed state services that benefit everyone in Delaware. The Lottery offers a variety of games: POWERBALL®, MULTI-WIN LOTTO, PLAY 3, PLAY 4, and assorted Instant Games.