LINN COUNTY GROUP OF 16 WINS $10,000 LOTTERY PRIZE

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Department of Human Services Co-Workers Win Big from May 27 Powerball® Drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa – A group of Linn County co-workers is splitting a $10,000 Powerball prize.

Kelly Morrow claimed the prize Friday on behalf of the Department of Human Services group in Central City at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids.

The group has been buying Powerball tickets together on and off for two years, according to Morrow. Usually the group plays random numbers, but this time she decided to have the players pick their own numbers.

"For the last four or five times we've never even won a dollar, so this time I went around and asked everybody to pick two sets of numbers. And somebody's numbers won $10,000," Morrow said.

She said the group is not going to determine whose numbers actually won, just to keep things fair.

"We have a pretty good idea, but I told everyone if anybody's numbers hit, they weren't going to get a bonus, so nobody got any extra money. We decided to do it this way because we weren't winning any other way," Morrow said.

One of the group members checked the numbers Wednesday night and called Morrow Thursday morning to tell her the news. They matched four of the first five numbers and the Powerball, ending up just one number away from a share of the $232.1 million Powerball jackpot that night. The jackpot winner's ticket was sold in Winner, S.D., and the winner is yet to come forward.

"They called me early in the morning and I thought they were kidding me," she said.

After having their offices hit hard by the 2008 flood, Morrow said they were especially excited to win.

"I copied the ticket at home, framed it and brought it into work. It's our good luck ticket," Morrow said.

The group is about a month away from moving into their newly renovated offices.

Each member of the group will receive around $400 from the winnings.

Morrow said the group will continue to play, and that they are thinking of trying the lottery's Hot Lotto game next.

Morrow said she is planning to use her winnings to buy a new laptop computer.

Morrow bought the winning Powerball ticket for the group at Hy-Vee, 4035 Mt. Vernon Road S.E. in Cedar Rapids.

The winning numbers on May 27 were: 5-6-12-16-21 and Powerball 7. The Power Play multiplier was 3. Had the group added the Power Play® to the ticket, it would have multiplied the $10,000 win by three and been a total of $30,000.

Players can increase their prizes with the Power Play (except the jackpot) up to five times. The cost is $1 per play. The Power Play number, 2 through 5, is chosen at the beginning of the drawing indicating the amount prizes (except the jackpot) will be multiplied if that number is drawn.

For players who choose the Power Play and match five white balls (regularly a $200,000 prize), the multiplier will always be 5, so those players would win an instant $1 million.

Winning numbers may be checked at the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com or through the winning numbers' hot line at (515) 323-4633. Winning numbers may also be checked with lottery retail outlets or by calling the lottery at (515) 725-7900 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Players may visit the Iowa Lottery at 2323 Grand Ave. in Des Moines or go to one of the lottery's regional offices in Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City or Cedar Rapids to claim prizes.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception in 1985, its players have won more than $2.2 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.1 billion for state programs.