Two of Six $10,000 Powerball Tickets Claimed; Winners from Burlington and Topeka

A Burlington couple, playing Powerball for the very first time, have claimed a $10,000 prize for matching four of the first five numbers and the Powerball in last night's drawing.

Connie and Randy Leal said they drove from Burlington to Topeka yesterday afternoon to have lunch.  Of course, they had heard all the hoopla about the record Powerball drawing.  Strictly on a whim, they decided to purchase their first Powerball ticket - five plays for $10.

"Like most people, I started thinking about all the things we would do with the money if we won the jackpot," shared Connie Leal.  "As the numbers came up on television, I wrote them down to check against our ticket.  We were totally surprised when we saw how close we came to winning the jackpot!"

The winning numbers in last night's Powerball drawing were 5-16-22-23-29 Powerball 6. The Neals had 05-14-22-23-29 Powerball 6.  Despite missing the jackpot by one number, the Leals are extremely happy to have won $10,000 and say they will put the money to good use.  Six months ago, the couple moved to Kansas from Illinois to be closer to Connie's family in Ottawa.  Connie said money has been tight.

"We just closed on a house. Randy is undergoing kidney dialysis and just got a pacemaker.  We've been struggling, and this money is going to help a lot." 

"We were very lucky to win big the very first time we played Powerball," Randy acknowledged.  "I'm sure we'll play again. We're definitely ahead of the game."

The Leals purchased their lucky Powerball ticket at Kwik Shop 781, located at 4500 S. Topeka Blvd. in Topeka.

Kansas had a total of six $10,000 winning tickets in last night's Powerball drawing.

The first $10,000 ticket to be claimed at headquarters today belonged to a Topeka resident who asked the Lottery not to disclose his identify.  That ticket was purchased at Whitelakes 66, located at 931 SW 37^th St. in Topeka.

For more information on games, promotions, winning numbers, and unclaimed prizes, or to join the free Kansas Lottery Players Club, visit www.kslottery.com.