NEVADA, Iowa — Two central Iowa men claimed a $1 million Mega Millions prize in what may be one of the smallest lottery office pools ever.
Randy Ferriss of Nevada and Colton Snyder of Huxley, both 52, have worked together at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ames for 26 years.
Both men are longtime lottery players, making up a small but mighty lottery office pool.
That office pool used to have more members, but over the years, their ranks dwindled until just Ferriss and Snyder remained.
Their loyalty paid off: Ferriss purchased the winning ticket at a Casey's in Nevada, using small winnings from other recent tickets to turn $2 into $1 million.
Both men told the Iowa Lottery they will take their time in deciding what to do with their winnings. Ferriss hopes to pay off his house, while Snyder said he and his wife plan to complete some small home improvements.
The coworkers also plan to continue playing the lottery together in their office pool.
Ferriss and Snyder's ticket is just one of four in the country to win a $1 million prize in the drawing. Other winning tickets were purchased in California, Maryland and Ohio, while the jackpot was won in New York.
Tuesday's winning numbers were: 7-9-15-19-25 and Mega Ball 4. Ferriss and Snyder's ticket matched the first five numbers but missed the Mega Ball.
This isn't the first time in recent memory that someone bought a lottery ticket with a significant prize in Iowa: Earlier this month, a Dubuque man won $40.03 million and a Davenport man claimed $500,000.
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