DES MOINES, Iowa - A Davenport man was reading the newspaper before starting work when he discovered he'd won a $10,000 prize in Wednesday's Powerball® drawing.
Robert Johannsen, 43, was at E. J. Welch Company in Davenport, where he is the branch manager, when he checked his numbers against those printed in the newspaper.
"I was with my coworkers and I just did not believe it, so I had to come up here to make sure," Johannsen said.
Johannsen claimed his prize Thursday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Cedar Rapids. He said the high jackpot is what drove him to purchase a ticket at Porter's Convenient 66, 1512 Lincoln Way in Clinton.
"I haven't told too many people," Johannsen said. "But now I'm here, now I believe it!"
Johannsen said he's planning to take some time to think about how to use his winnings.
"It hasn't really hit me yet," he said.
The winning numbers in the $110 million Powerball jackpot drawing on Wednesday were 24-33-36-48-56 and Powerball 6. Johannsen won a $10,000 prize by matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball. Had he added the Power Play® to his ticket, Johannsen would have multiplied his win to $40,000.
There was no jackpot prize winner in Wednesday's drawing. The estimated jackpot for this Wednesday's drawing is $149 million.
Players can increase their prizes with the Power Play (except the jackpot). The cost is $1 per play. Players who chose the Power Play prior to Jan. 15 and matched four white balls and the Powerball won a $10,000 prize multiplied by the number that was chosen for the Power Play. In the new $2 Powerball game, players who choose the Power Play and match four white balls and the Powerball win a $40,000 prize.
Winning numbers may be checked at the lottery website 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 lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.9 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised more than $1.4 billion for the state programs that benefit all Iowans.
Today, lottery proceeds in Iowa have three main purposes: They provide support for veterans, help for a variety of significant projects through the state General Fund, and backing for the Vision Iowa program, which was implemented to create tourism destinations and community attractions in the state and build and repair schools.
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