An “astonished” Alamogordo man claimed a $600,000 prize from the
New Mexico Lottery Tuesday.
Karl L. Vogt, who began playing Powerball®
a year ago, matched five of the six winning numbers for the June 28 drawing.
Matching five numbers ordinarily pays a $200,000 prize, but because Vogt added the
Power Play® option to his wager, his prize was tripled.
Power Play multiplies non-jackpot prizes by two, three, four or five times,
depending on the Power Play number drawn. On June 28, “three” was drawn as
the multiplier.
Vogt discovered his $600,000 prize Sunday morning after checking the winning Powerball
numbers on the lottery’s website.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” Vogt said. “I read the numbers again and again.”
As the realization sank in, the 63-year-old Vogt wandered to his living room where
he said a prayer of gratitude. Then it was back to the lottery’s website to
check the numbers again.
Vogt, who works in Alamogordo providing support services to German Air Force personnel
learning to fly jets at various U.S. military installations, said his prize will
be invested for retirement. Vogt also wants to purchase a vacation home in Alamogordo.
The globetrotter thinks southern New Mexico is one of the most beautiful places
on earth.
Vogt purchased his winning ticket at Lowe’s No. 55 at 675 10th St. in Alamogordo.
This lottery retailer has sold 15 other large prize-winning lottery tickets ranging
between $1,000 and $10,000.
Lottery Beneficiaries in Otero County
All net revenues from the sale of lottery games benefit the
Legislative Lottery Scholarship program, which provides tuition assistance
for New Mexico residents attending the state’s public colleges and universities.
Since its inception in 1996, the lottery has raised $358 million for public education
in New Mexico and more than 50,000 students have received Legislative Lottery Scholarships.
As of the Spring 2007 semester, 1,600 high school graduates from Otero County have
received $6.1 million in Legislative Lottery Scholarships. Information on
Legislative Lottery Scholarships is available at
www.nmlottery.com.
