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Beresford Woman Claims Share of $391,206 Dakota Cash Jackpot
(PIERRE) – Marcia Hohn of Beresford today claimed her half of the $391,206 Dakota Cash jackpot for the Feb. 2, 2011 drawing at the Sioux Falls Lottery office.
She was one of two lucky ticket holders who matched all five numbers to win the game’s top prize. The other winner, Johnny Christion of Lennox, came forward to redeem his ticket on Feb. 3, 2011. Both winners received $195,603 before taxes.
Although Hohn lives in Beresford, the jackpot-winning ticket was purchased at the 281 Travel Center in Wolsey; the store will receive a bonus of $2,500 for selling the winning ticket. The Quick Pick ticket was purchased there by Hohn’s husband, Darrell, an independent trucker. Hohn said the routine stop turned out to be a lucky one.
“My husband was heading up north to load cattle when he stopped in Wolsey. He’ll buy a lotto ticket when the jackpot is a good amount so he got one. I don’t usually play but it’s a good thing he does!” she said.
It was at another truck stop, this time in Aberdeen, where Darrell Hohn found out they had a jackpot-winning ticket. He began checking the numbers while he was waiting for a load and when he discovered they all matched, he called Marcia at work to share the good news.
“He told me we could build the laundry room I wanted because we just won the Dakota Cash jackpot. I thought he was kidding. When I asked him if we’d really won, he said he was serious,” said Marcia. What was her reaction? “Disbelief. And then the Happy Dance!”
The rest of the family, which includes two children and four grandchildren, were equally surprised. When Marcia called her son to share the news, he had just checked his own Dakota Cash tickets to see if the unclaimed jackpot-winning ticket was among them. At first he didn’t believe it either when she told him his parents had the winning ticket.
Although the shock of the last few days hasn’t worn off yet, Hohn says she and her husband have begun making plans on what to do with their winnings. They include paying off Darrell’s truck and trailer, making some home improvements, and doing some things they’ve wanted to do but couldn’t before. Now that they’re officially jackpot winners, Hohn offers some advice to other players.
“Don’t give up! Anyone can win if I can,” she said.
The $391,206 jackpot was the second largest Dakota Cash jackpot ever won in the game, which is only played in South Dakota. The largest jackpot of $460,469 was won in November of 1994. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1:324,632. The jackpot starts again at $20,000 for the next drawing on Sat., Feb. 5, 2011.
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