BEST FRIENDS FROM IOWA SPLIT $1 MILLION POWERBALL® PRIZE

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Two Couples Bought Powerball Tickets Together While Camping At Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES, Iowa – Two couples who have made an annual tradition of camping at the Iowa State Fair split a $1 million Powerball prize Friday that they won with a ticket they pooled their money to buy at a Pleasant Hill gas station.

Rick Hamilton, 55, and Sharon Sulser, 51, both from Chariton; and Vickie and Terry Chambers, both 50 and from nearby Columbia; are calling themselves the Hog Hut Friends after their local Harley Davidson® hang-out.

"We were camping at the Fair and needed ice and went over to Hy-Vee," Hamilton said as the group claimed its prize Friday at lottery headquarters in Des Moines. "I bought ice and thought I'd better buy a ticket."

Soon after Wednesday's Powerball drawing, the group began hearing rumors that a $1 million prize had been won in Pleasant Hill. Terry Chambers recalls Hamilton joking that they had the winning ticket.

"We were just sitting there talking and Rick kept saying he had the winning ticket," Chambers said. "So we just decided we'd better get them out and look at them."

They grabbed Thursday's newspaper and started checking their numbers.

"We got to looking at it, saw that we had it and couldn't hardly believe it!" Chambers said.

This isn't the first time these lifelong friends have gone in together to purchase Powerball tickets.

"We've always said if one of us hit it we all were going to enjoy it," Hamilton said. "And it all worked out."

Sulser jokingly said that Chambers is still learning to love camping at the State Fair, "But he really loves it this year!"

Vickie Chambers said they've been trying to convince people that they really did win $1 million.

"I've been telling them that we won, but nobody actually believes us," she said with a laugh. "They didn't believe us until they saw the receipt. They'll believe us when they see it, money in hand."

The Chambers said this win will make life a little bit easier.

"We'll pay some debt off and then our retirement will be looking a lot better," Vickie Chambers said.

The group won its prize on Terry Chamber's 50th birthday. He said it's a definitely a birthday he'll never forget!

Hamilton purchased the group's $1 million-winning ticket at Hy-Vee Gas, 4910 Maple Dr. in Pleasant Hill. The group's ticket came close to winning a share of Wednesday's $259.9 million jackpot, matching the first five numbers but missing the Powerball® to win a $200,000 prize. But Hamilton also added the Power Play® option to the group's winning play, which multiplied the prize to $1 million.

Wednesday's Powerball jackpot was won with a ticket sold in South Carolina.

The winning numbers in Wednesday's $259.9 million Powerball drawing were: 14-24-31-43-51 and Powerball 27. The Power Play multiplier was 5. The jackpot returns to $20 million for Saturday's drawing.

When the Powerball game was redesigned in January, one of the changes made was specifically for the prize you win if your ticket matches the first five numbers and you've added the Power Play. The prize for that play is always $1 million, no matter what the Power Play number is for that drawing.

Lottery CEO Terry Rich said the lottery has come away a double winner this week.

"All summer we've promoted vacationing at our great Iowa attractions through our 'Keep Your Ticket Handy' promotion with the Iowa Tourism Office," he said. "These couples won while vacationing at the Iowa State Fair -- one of the best -known attractions in Iowa. We couldn't be more pleased."

Lottery officials said they are wrapping up the summer promotion with 19 free and discount Iowa offers available at www.ialottery.com. Just added is a special $45 offer from the Iowa Speedway in Newton for all-you-can-eat tickets to the Lucas Oil 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on Sept. 5.

The Hog Hut Friends are Iowa's second $1 million Powerball winners this year. In February, a Marshalltown man won a $1 million prize by adding the Power Play option to his Powerball ticket. Ricky Rushton, who worked in the cafeteria at the Swift & Co. pork-processing plant in Marshalltown, bought his $1 million-winning ticket at a Marshalltown convenience store.

Since the Iowa Lottery's start in 1985, its players have won more than $2.4 billion in prizes while the lottery has raised nearly $1.2 billion for state programs.