WILMINGTON COUPLE CLAIMS $755,000 LOTTO PRIZE

DOVER, DE -- A couple from Wilmington claimed a $755,000 LOTTO prize from the August 13 drawing this morning at the Delaware Lottery Office in Dover. The winners, a 42-year-old special education teacher and mother of two and a 44-year old mechanical designer, each received $275,575. This figure represents half the total prize minus $101,925 in federal taxes.

Regular LOTTO and POWERBALL® players, the couple purchased the winning ticket at the Shore Stop at Routes 5 and 24 in Millsboro on their way to the beach last week. Since they were going on vacation, they purchased tickets with the numbers they always play - based on birthdays - for the six drawings that would happen while they were away.

The couple found out they were winners when they stopped back at the same Shore Stop on their way home and checked their tickets against the sign posted on the door. Their reaction? "Shock!" the man said. "It's just shocking when you win. And nobody believes you!" They plan to invest their winnings.

Although they've never won anything like this before, they plan to continue to play Delaware Lottery Games. As he put it, "we want that POWERBALL Jackpot."

The POWERBALL jackpot for Wednesday, August 20 has an estimated annuity value of
$85 million. Tonight's LOTTO jackpot has an estimated value of $260,000. Tickets for both games cost $1 and are available at more than 400 Delaware Lottery Retailers.

Since the start of operations in 1975, the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than $1.3 billion to the state's General Fund to help finance needed state services that benefit everyone in Delaware. The Lottery offers a variety of games: POWERBALL, LOTTO, PLAY 3 and PLAY 4, and assorted Instant Games.