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For Immediate Release: March 25, 2010
Contact: Kelly Thompson, 773-5770 or kelly.thompson@state.sd.us
Contact: Kelly Thompson, 773-5770 or kelly.thompson@state.sd.us
Watertown 48 Claims $200,000 Powerball Prize
(Pierre) – Representatives from the “Watertown 48” today claimed the group’s $200,000 Powerball prize for the March 17, 2010 drawing at the Sioux Falls Lottery office.
Despite earlier published reports announcing the group as the winners of the game’s second prize, it did not become official until today when the winning ticket was presented to the Lottery for verification and payment. It is the first time this year the $200,000 prize has been won in South Dakota.
The winning ticket was one of 48 tickets purchased by the group for the March 17, 2010 drawing. Forty-seven of the “Watertown 48” are employees at Minnesota Rubber in Watertown; the group pools their money to purchase Quick Pick tickets for every Powerball drawing. The lucky $200,000 ticket was purchased at Roadside Gas in Watertown.
Members of the “Watertown 48” are:
Arlo Anderson, Summit
Mike Beck, Watertown
Sheila Beisch, Watertown
Tom Bierscheid, Watertown
Ron Bublitz, Watertown
Mike Ching, Watertown
Bill Clark, Watertown
Bill Conlon, Watertown
LeRoy Cordell, Watertown
Jerry Corey, Watertown
Mary Decker, Watertown
Darwin Fischbach, Watertown
Robert Fischbach, Watertown
Donna Groskreutz, Watertown
Jean Harms, Watertown
Wanda Henrichs, Watertown
Patty Hlavacek, Florence
Dean Howard, Watertown
Jeff Janke, Henry
Linda Jenkins, Watertown
Ron Kelly, Watertown
Harold Klucas, Watertown
Doug Koch, Watertown
Philip Kranz, Watertown
Karen Liebl, Watertown
Barb Martenson, Henry
Barb Mendenhall, Watertown
Roger Mohr, Watertown
John O’Hara, Watertown
Anita Raml, Goodwin
Tom Raml, Goodwin
Roger Remmers, Watertown
Deb Ries, SouthShore
Carolyn Ronke. Watertown
Paul Ruhr, Watertown
Allen Schmidt, Watertown
Joanne Schroeder, Watertown
Donnie Selchert, Watertown
Lois Selchert, Hazel
Dennis Sherman, Goodwin
Marshall Smith, Clark
Shirley Smith, Clark
Alvin Spanton, Milbank
Allen Taken, Watertown
Steve Tekrony, ClearLake
Tad Turbak, Watertown
Dallas Whitlock, Watertown
Debi Wollan, Watertown
Two members of the “Watertown 48” – Allen Schmidt and Lois Selchert – were also members of the “Watertown 34”, who in 2003 split $50.9 million as half of a Powerball jackpot that was shared by their group and a single ticket holder in Indiana. That win seven years ago was the first Powerball jackpot won in South Dakota.
Each member of the “Watertown 48” will receive about $3,000 after taxes from their St. Patrick’s Day win. Although the same group has comprised the pool for several years, Carolyn Ronke, who serves as “treasurer” and purchases the tickets, says with the win, more people are asking about joining the pool. But the pool of players isn’t likely to grow.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time, and we want to keep the group size at 48. So until somebody drops out, nobody new gets in,” Ronke laughed.
While plans for what to do with their winnings varies from opening a quilting business to fishing and playing golf more often, none of the members plan on retiring any time soon. One thing the “Watertown 48” does agree on is that they’ll keep playing Powerball.
“You can’t win if you don’t play,” they said. And Carolyn Ronke offered other players some additional advice. “Set your dreams high because they do come true.”
Powerball is played in 41 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The odds of winning the $200,000 prize are 1:5,138,133. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1:195,249,054.
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