DENVER – If only they could have taken the Powerball number from the line above and the five numbers from the line below, one Denver family would have taken home a $61.9 million jackpot. As it was, Chris and Dorothy Baca matched five of five numbers, 13, 31, 36, 48, and 49, but not the Powerball number, 11. That number appeared on another line. But, because they picked the Power Play option they multiplied their prizes by two.  Today they walked away with $400,000, plus $6 for matching the Powerball number on the other line.

“Man, just one line away from the big one!” Chris mused.

Chris bought the lucky ticket at the 7-Eleven at 10722 E. Alameda in Aurora while running out to get gas for the lawnmower. They didn’t watch the drawing last night; Dorothy doesn’t like to know what the numbers are because if she wins, she won’t be able to sleep. Instead, she waits until the morning after the drawing.

“I looked at the numbers in the paper this morning, and I couldn’t believe it,” Dorothy said. “I told my husband to double check so I'd know if I have to go into work!”

The Bacas were so excited by their win that they arrived at the Lottery office in Denver before the doors even opened at 8 a.m. They plan to put a little away in savings, and then use the rest to help support their children and grandchildren, as well as do things they couldn’t afford to do before.

“We still gotta work,” said Chris, a remodeling contractor, “But, maybe I’ll be a little pickier with the jobs I take.”

As for Dorothy, she decided that she would not be going into work this morning. “I’m going to take a little time off,” she said with a smile.

Proceeds from the Colorado Lottery’s games - Scratch, Lotto, Powerball and Cash 5 - stay in Colorado to improve the quality of life in the state. In Fiscal Year 2008, more than $122.3 million was returned to Colorado. Since the lottery started in 1983, $2 billion has been returned to the state.

The Lottery proceeds are distributed to three primary beneficiaries: Great Outdoors Colorado, Conservation Trust Fund and Colorado State Parks. These organizations then provide grants and direct funding for parks, recreation, open space acquisition, trails, wildlife and conservation education.

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August 28, 2008

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