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Wilton Man Pockets $10,000 Mega Millions® Prize

Stephen Owens Claims Big Prize from Friday's Drawing

Stephen Owens

CLIVE, Iowa — A Wilton man who won $10,000 said he felt fortunate even before his big win.

"I beat leukemia and I'm still alive," Stephen Owens said on Tuesday as he claimed his prize at the lottery's Cedar Rapids regional office. "This is kind of a small win after winning the game of life."

Owens, 55, matched four of five white balls and the Mega Ball in Friday's Mega Millions drawing. He was one number away from winning that night's $535 million jackpot.

"I'm not a normal player. I play here and there," said Owens, who bought his ticket during a stop for tortillas at Jeff's Market, 101 E. Fourth St. in Wilton. "Once in a while, when it gets bigger, you throw in $5 or whatever at it. The line wasn't busy so I bought a ticket."

Owens checked his winning numbers a couple of days after the drawing.

"I thought, 'Oh, this is a pretty good one!'" he said. "I was pretty thrilled. That's a fun amount of money."

Owens said his big win came at a great time.

"We have a daughter getting married in the spring, so this will help with that," he said.

The winning numbers in Friday's drawing were 28-30-44-66-69 and Mega Ball 2. The Megaplier was 3.

The Mega Millions jackpot has continued to grow since then, with this Friday's jackpot up to an estimated $627 million.

Players in $2 Mega Millions choose their first five numbers from a pool of 70, and another number - called the Mega Ball - from a separate pool of 25. The Megaplier option, which multiplies non-jackpot prizes by up to five times, is available for an extra $1 per play.

Mega Millions drawings are on Tuesdays and Fridays. For more information, visit www.ialottery.com.

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