LEWES MAN CLAIMS $1,125,000 LOTTO PRIZE

DOVER, DE -- A 68-year-old Lewes man claimed a $1,125,000 LOTTO prize from the December 29 drawing yesterday afternoon at the Delaware Lottery Office in Dover. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, received $843,750. This figure represents the total prize minus $281,250 in federal taxes.

The winning ticket was purchased at the Shore Stop in Angola. The winner found out he had won when he checked his ticket at the store. He was still in shock when he claimed his prize today; according to Lottery officials, he repeated "I can't believe it" over and over again as he went through the claim process. He plans to share his prize with his family.

The POWERBALL jackpot for Wednesday, January 21 has an estimated annuity value of
$46 million. Tonight's LOTTO jackpot has an estimated value of $415,000. 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 $1.6 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.