Indianola Man Wins $50,000 Powerball® Prize
Michael Mettler Wins Big in Wednesday's Drawing
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CLIVE, Iowa — An Indianola man bought a lottery ticket on a whim and won a $50,000 Powerball prize.
"I don't splurge very much, but here and there – (I) might get lucky," Michael Mettler told officials on Thursday as he claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Clive. "I think the most we've ever won is $20 or so on a ticket. This is really nice, really surprising."
Mettler, 71, matched four of five white balls and the Powerball in Wednesday's drawing to reach the game's second prize. He was just one number away from winning that night's $144 million jackpot.
He bought his easy-pick ticket at Casey's, 1006 SW Second Ave. in Indianola. He returned the morning after the drawing and asked an employee to check the ticket on the store's lottery terminal.
"She says, 'Oh, my! You're going to have to go to the lotto office!'" he recalled with a laugh. "She showed me the ticket and said, '$50,000!' What a deal is that?"
Mettler quickly called his wife, Donna, with the news, and then stopped by her workplace on his way to claim his prize to show her the ticket and receipt.
The winning numbers in Wednesday's drawing were 2-9-28-36-53 and Powerball 4. The Power Play® number was 2. No one won the jackpot, so Saturday's Powerball jackpot stands at an estimated $161 million.
Mettler, a retired veteran, said he plans to save his winnings.
"I'm pretty frugal with my money," he said. "I'm not going to go out and blow it. Put it in the bank and let it rest."
Players in $2 Powerball choose their first five numbers from a pool of 69, and another number – called the Powerball – from a separate pool of 26. The Power Play option is available for an extra $1 per play.
Since getting its start in April 1992 in 15 states with jackpots that started at a guaranteed $2 million, Powerball has grown into one of the world's biggest and most recognizable lottery games. Today Powerball is played by 48 lotteries with drawings at 9:59 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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