Iowa Quaker Oats workers claim $241M Powerball jackpot

Workers from the Quaker Oats plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, react as their winning $241 million Powerball ticket is scanned at the Iowa Lottery headquarters, Wednesday, June 20, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. / AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

(AP) DES MOINES, Iowa - A group of 20 workers at a Quaker Oats plant in Iowa stepped forward Wednesday to claim a $241 million Powerball jackpot.

Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer said the agency verified the winning ticket, which was sold June 13.

One of the workers bought the winning ticket for the group and the winnings will be split 20 ways, said Dan Morris, a spokesman for the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union that all the winners belong to in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Morris said the winners all are between 35 and 64 years old and work in the Quaker plant's shipping department.

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The group took a chartered bus paid for by their union from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines on Wednesday to present their ticket to lottery officials.

"They're in shock. Still trying to recover," said Joe Day, the group's lawyer.

Day said the group had yet to decide what to do with the winnings, but described the winners as "ecstatic."

"Financial security for a lifetime," he said. "Anybody would want that."

The jackpot is the 15th largest won by Powerball players and, according to Neubauer, would amount to roughly $5.6 million per person after taxes if the group chooses the lump-sum cash option.

[darkhorseky]

So glad to see the avg men or women win. Does the heart good.

[FreddySanford]

Money sucks

[tjolley22]

That's a bet you'd lose. They have a lotto like that here in OH. It does OK, but people are spoiled because the jackpot is "only" $1 million. People don't really even bother to purchase tickets for it until it hits about $4 million.

Even at a 3% rate of return, $5.6 million will yield about $160k a year and not ever touch the principle. Life changing indeed!

[linfinster]

What I would do with even $50,000 . . life changing. Too bad they don't have a lottery where a ticket is drawn for 1 million each and spread the wealth that way!! I ,'bet" more people would buy a ticket!!