DALLAS CENTER MAN WINS $12,000 LOTTERY PRIZE

William Whitney Wins $12,000 in the December 12 Pick 4 Evening Drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Dallas Center man won two prizes totaling $12,000 playing the Iowa Lottery's Pick 4 game.

William Whitney won two prizes of $6,000 during the evening Pick 4 drawing on December 12. The winning numbers that evening were: 8-2-7-5. Whitney bought his winning tickets at Casey's, 1302 First Ave. in Perry.

Pick 4, which has been offered in Iowa since September 2003, features a top prize of $30,000, with odds of just 1:10,000 of winning it. Another intriguing aspect of the game comes in the variety of ways players can choose to play it. Plays in Pick 4 range from 50 cents to $5 for the chance to match a four-digit combination of numbers from 0000 to 9999.

There are several ways to win in Pick 4. A player can choose a straight play, meaning that if the winning numbers are 1-2-3-4, the player wins a prize for matching that combination exactly: 1-2-3-4. Another option is to choose a box play, which allows players to win for matching the winning numbers, but not in the exact order drawn (if the winning numbers are 1-2-3-4, you can win for a combination of those numbers, such as 4-3-2-1). You also can choose a straight/box play, which allows you to win for matching the numbers in the exact order drawn or in any order.

Pick 4 drawings are held Monday-Saturday. The game's midday drawings are at 12:40 p.m. with evening drawings at 9:20 p.m.

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.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion for state programs.