CRESCO MAN WINS $10,000 LOTTERY PRIZE

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Darin Burnikel Claims $10,000 Prize from August 15 Powerball® Drawing

DES MOINES, Iowa – A Cresco man can keep his dairy farm running smoothly with his $10,000 Powerball prize.

Darin Burnikel, 40, claimed a $10,000 prize from the August 15 Powerball drawing.

"We checked the numbers the next day. For a second I thought we'd won it all, but $10,000 is still good!" Burnikel said.

Burnikel's wife Sonya was there with him when he discovered the win. The couple runs a dairy farm with a herd of about 90 cattle.

"She was about as surprised as I was," Burnikel said.

Burnikel said he plans to use his winnings to pay bills and keep the farm running.

"We did learn from now on to play the multiplier, though!" he said.

Burnikel claimed his prize Wednesday at the Iowa Lottery's regional office in Mason City. He bought his winning Powerball ticket at Casey's, 601 Second Ave. S.W. in Cresco.

"They were quite shocked when it came out a $10,000 winner. They'd never had one that big there before," Burnikel said.

Burnikel said he and his wife have told their two children about the win as well. He said now that he's won big, he plans to keep playing.

"Until I win the jackpot, then I might stop," Burnikel said with a laugh.

The winning numbers on August 15 were 14-15-26-32-36 and Powerball 12. The Power Play multiplier was 5. Burnikel matched four of the first five numbers drawn and the Powerball to win a $10,000 prize. Had he added the Power Play® to his ticket, Burnikel would have multiplied his $10,000 win by five and won a total of $50,000.

Players can increase their prizes with the Power Play (except the jackpot) up to five times. The cost is $1 per play. The Power Play number, 2 through 5, is chosen at the beginning of the drawing indicating the amount prizes (except the jackpot) will be multiplied if that number is drawn.

For players who choose the Power Play and match five white balls (regularly a $200,000 prize), the multiplier will always be 5, so those players would win an instant $1 million.

Winning numbers may be checked at the lottery Web site at www.ialottery.com or through the winning numbers' hot line at (515) 323-4633. Winning numbers may also be checked with lottery retail outlets or by calling the lottery at (515) 725-7900 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Players may visit the Iowa Lottery at 2323 Grand Ave. in Des Moines or go to one of the lottery's regional offices in Council Bluffs, Storm Lake, Mason City or Cedar Rapids to claim prizes.

Since the Iowa Lottery's inception 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.