Associated Press Writer
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Two tickets, one in Missouri and the other in Pennsylvania, matched the
numbers drawn in the Powerball lottery, splitting the estimated $261.3 million jackpot, lottery
officials said.
The winning Missouri ticket was sold at Hermann Fuel Mart in Hermann, a town of about 2,600 on
the Missouri River, but the winner hadn't come forward Thursday morning, Missouri Lottery
spokeswoman Susan Goedde said.
The Pennsylvania ticket was sold in Cranberry Township, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh. No one
had come forward to claim the prize there, either, said Nick Hays, spokesman for the state
Department of Revenue.
"Hopefully it's a familiar face," said Arthur Hoffmann, owner of the Hermann Fuel Mart. "Everyone is
kind of in a glowing mood. We're not used to this type of thing here. I think everybody is in disbelief."
Hoffmann, 42, said he had bought $3 in lottery tickets for himself and rushed to check them when
he got the call from lottery officials. He didn't have the numbers, but his store will get a $50,000
bonus for selling the winning ticket.
The numbers in Wednesday night's drawing were 19-21-26-31-51 and the Powerball was 40.
The jackpot has surpassed $200 million four times since Powerball began in 1992. The largest
jackpot was the Christmas 2002 prize of $314.9 million, won by a West Virginia contractor.
Sales for this drawing had flagged over the long July Fourth weekend but picked up starting Monday.
"As people started going back to work this week, getting back into their normal routine, then across
the Powerball states we saw sales going up," said Mary Neubauer, Iowa Lottery spokeswoman.
The latest winners can select half of a $147 million lump sum or opt for annual payments of more
than $4.2 million over 30 years. Both figures are before taxes, Neubauer said.
Powerball, the nation's largest lottery game, is sold in 24 states, the District of Columbia and the
U.S. Virgin Islands.
At a downtown Des Moines store, business analyst Kim Mingles grabbed 30 tickets for her office
pool hours before the drawing.
The co-workers "decided we were buying new houses and paying bills," if they won, said Mingles,
40, of Bevington, Iowa.
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On the Net: Powerball: http://www.powerball.com
