$10,000 POWERBALL PRIZE BRINGS
HARDIN COUNTY WOMAN HOLIDAY CHEER

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Jennifer Dawson Claims $10,000 Prize from the December 19 Powerball® Drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Hardin County woman said her $10,000 Powerball win came at the perfect time of the year.

Jennifer Dawson, 43, of Eldora and her husband John stopped to get gas on the way home and decided to check the winning numbers from the Dec. 19 Powerball drawing. That's when they discovered the win.

"I started looking and I made my husband turn around and go back! I said, 'Hold on, we need to check this ticket.' It was just unreal. I mean it's the perfect time of year for something like this to happen," Dawson said.

Dawson returned to the gas station where she had just stopped to have the ticket validated.

"The guy told me I was a big winner and I said, 'Well how big?' And I'm thinking a couple thousand dollars; and he said, '$10,000!' and I'm like, 'Oh! Okay! I can take that!'" she said.

Dawson's daughter happened to be working right next door to the station, so she was able to tell her husband and her daughter right away.

"He was more excited than I was! I was just in shock. All my kids were kind of like, 'No!'" Dawson said.

Dawson claimed her prize Wednesday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Mason City. She bought her winning Powerball ticket at Hy-Vee, 1616 Edgington Ave. in Eldora. She said she knows exactly who sold her the ticket and she can't wait to tell him.

Dawson, who is currently an assistant manager for Pizza Ranch, plans to use some of her winnings to buy a new car as well as use it for the holidays. She said she'll definitely continue to play.

"If I was one number off, come on, I could always win!" she said.

The winning numbers on Dec. 19 were 17-24-39-41-47 and Powerball 21. The Power Play multiplier was three. Dawson matched four of the first five numbers drawn and the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. Had she added the Power Play® to her ticket, Dawson would have multiplied her $10,000 win by three to win 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 $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.2 billion for state programs.