WINNING TICKET FOR FINAL LOTTO JACKPOT VALIDATED

Dover, DE, March 29, 2005—Two months following the final LOTTO jackpot drawing held on January 26, 2005, a 55-year old man from Sussex County has come forward to have the sole winning ticket validated at the Delaware Lottery Office in Dover. The man, a frequent Lottery player who chose to remain anonymous, presented the single winning ticket that matched all six numbers drawn and claimed a check for $5,839,117.50 after taxes. The final LOTTO jackpot was $7,785,490 and was the largest cash prize awarded in the game’s 22-year history.

The winning ticket was sold at the Bridle Bit in Harrington, Sussex County. The retailer received a commission check for $77,854.90 from the Delaware Lottery a week after the final drawing of the LOTTO game.

In addition to the one winning ticket sold, there were 48 tickets sold that matched five of the six numbers drawn, representing a $500 prize and 1,951 tickets sold with four of the six numbers selected, which was worth $25 to the ticket holders. The LOTTO game was retired after the final drawing and was replaced with the new MULTI-WIN LOTTO game, which has become popular with regular Lottery players.

The lucky winner of the final LOTTO jackpot told Lottery officials that he took their advice and sought out professional legal, tax and financial counsel before coming forward to claim his prize. He told Lottery officials that he was “grateful for his winnings.”

Since the start of operations in 1975, the Delaware Lottery has contributed more than
$1.8 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®, MULTI-WIN LOTTO, PLAY 3, PLAY 4, and assorted Instant Games.