Two hit five numbers, miss Powerball and big jackpot

At least two people who bought Powerball tickets in Iowa aren’t walking away empty handed following last night’s drawing for a 261-million dollar jackpot. Iowa Lottery spokeswoman, Mary Neubauer says two tickets sold in Missouri and Pennsylvania are jackpot winners, and two tickets in Iowa came close. She says they matched the first five numbers, but missed the Powerball, so they win 100-thousand dollars. One ticket was sold at a convenience store in Centerville and another was sold at a Hy-Vee store in Council Bluffs. The two winners did not pick the multiplier option that could’ve tripled their prize to 300-thousand dollars. So far this morning, Neubauer says no one has come forward with the two 100-thousand dollar tickets.She says the size of the prize means the winners will have to go to a lottery office to claim the money. The jackpot had been estimated at 250 million prior to the drawing, but Neubauer says heavy sales bumped it up. She says sales approached two-thousand tickets a minute by late afternoon yesterday. Just three tickets sold in Iowa have produced Powerball winners in the history of the game — raising the questions if Iowans are unlucky.She says people in other states also complain they never win, but Neubauer says over time all the winnings are proportional. The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing goes back to 10-million dollars.