RAILROAD WORKER WHO WON $500,000 IOWA LOTTERY PRIZE MAKES RETIREMENT PLANS

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Ralph Kuwamoto Claims Grand Prize In First 'Midwest Millions' Lottery Drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa - A railroad worker who bought a “Midwest Millions” instant-scratch ticket while working in southwest Iowa has claimed the grand prize of $500,000 in the game's first drawing.

Ralph Kuwamoto, 50, of Lincoln, Neb., claimed his prize Friday at Iowa Lottery headquarters in Des Moines. Kuwamoto joked that while he always thought he would win the lottery someday, he assumed it would happen in Nebraska.

“I figured I'd be standing in Lincoln (at the Nebraska Lottery). But this is a good moment!” he said. “I'll take it.”

Kuwamoto, a welding foreman for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, was selected as the top-prize winner of $500,000 in the “Midwest Millions” drawing conducted Jan. 11 by officials of the Kansas and Iowa lotteries at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Fifty winners of $1,000 prizes also were selected in the drawing. A second drawing in the game is scheduled for April in Iowa.

Midwest Millions is the first instant-scratch game to be sold jointly by two U.S. lotteries. The Kansas and Iowa lotteries began selling the game in September. Players in both states have been buying tickets and competing for prizes as part of an effort to test the “Powerball concept” that has proven so successful in lotto games. Multiple lotteries have joined together in lotto games such as Powerball to offer bigger prizes and more chances to win than they would have been able to achieve on their own.

Kuwamoto bought his winning-entry ticket at Eddy's, 1200 Locust St. in Glenwood.

He said that after the drawing in Topeka, word began to spread of his good fortune, and friends called to ask if he really was the $500,000 winner. But he didn't believe the news until he got home from work that night.

“There was a call on the voicemail from the Iowa Lottery stating that they had wonderful news for me. So right then and there, I guess I realized I had won $500,000,” he said. “It was overwhelming. I was happy of course!”

Officials with both lotteries said they have been pleased by Midwest Millions' performance, and Kuwamoto's win as an out-of-state player is evidence of the game's wide appeal.

“Lottery prizes can be won by anyone from anywhere, and this drawing is definitely evidence of that,” said Mary Neubauer, the Iowa Lottery's vice president of external relations. “We're looking forward to the next drawing in April, and you never know who the winners will be.”

Kuwamoto's wife, Deb, accompanied him to claim his prize. She said she thought he was joking when he first told her the good news.

“He's been saying for a long time that he was going to win the lottery - but he thought it would be in Powerball,” she said. “I told him next time, he has to be more specific! But we're very happy.”

Ralph Kuwamoto said they have retirement plans for his winnings.

“We've thought about it a little bit. Most of it is probably going to go toward retirement,” he said. “I'm about 10 years away so we’re going to try to make some wise investments and try to get there. We'll spend a little bit on ourselves and see where it goes from there!”

Midwest Millions offers 1.2 million tickets, with 600,000 going to each state. Statewide sales began in both states on Sept. 10. Instant prizes range from $10 to $50,000 and two second-chance drawings in the game each offer a $500,000 prize as well as 50 prizes of $1,000. More than 81,000 entries were received for the drawing in Topeka.

The second drawing will be April 18 in Des Moines. All entries were discarded after the first drawing, so the winners in the April drawing will be selected from a new round of entries.

The prize winners in the Jan. 11 drawing were: