Retired airman, wife win $1M in Powerball

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 posted 12:09 PM EDT

HICKORY VALLEY - Valley Mart owner Sharon Turner found out two weeks ago from customers that her shop sold the latest million-dollar Tennessee Lottery ticket to a Hardeman County couple.

But Martin Benton, 69, and wife Delores, 70, waited until Monday morning to claim their $1 million prize at the Tennessee Lottery's Nashville headquarters

Turner recounted on Monday how exciting it was to learn that some of her customers were the winners.

"To sell a million-dollar ticket right here! It was a pretty exciting day that Thursday," she said.

"I sold them the winning ticket - we went back on video tape to see it," she said about the sale at the convenience store and gas station. "We found out from customers; we had no clue. They heard it on a Jackson radio station and watched it on the Jackson news."

In a written statement from the Tennessee Lottery, the Bentons said they planned to spend a short time visiting the city where they were married 46 years ago - Nashville - and then head home.

The couple could not be reached by The Jackson Sun for comment Monday. According to lottery officials, Martin Benson is retired and spent 21 years in the Air Force.

After joking about purchasing a Rolls-Royce, Martin Benton said he plans to use the money wisely, the release said.

Turner said she doesn't know the couple personally, but they told her they didn't "want to make a big deal" out of their win.

"From talking to people, I've heard they're sweet, nice people and well-deserving," she said. "I've seen them a few times buying tickets."

Turner owns the Valley Mart with her husband, Glenn. She said that according to store records, only 300 to 400 tickets were sold from the Saturday to Wednesday period. Powerball numbers are drawn on Saturdays and Wednesdays.

"That weekend we were pretty busy selling tickets with all the hype," she said. "But I'm still waiting for my (million-dollar-ticket-sold-here) sign from the lottery. That will make a big difference."

The Bentons say they always choose the same numbers and select the Power Play option, according to the release from the Tennessee Lottery.

For an extra $1 per play, a Powerball player chooses the Power Play option on the play slip. Before each Powerball drawing, a wheel is spun to select a multiplier between 2 and 5 for that night's drawing. If the player wins a prize (for anything except the jackpot), that prize is multiplied by the number chosen for that night, according to the Tennessee Lottery.

Turner's father Kenneth Howell, a store clerk, said he was in the shop the Thursday after the ticket was sold. Howell said Martin Benton told him he's been playing the same numbers for six to eight months.

"I was here when he brought the ticket in to check his numbers; he thought he'd won $200,000," Howell said. "But it so happens that the Power Play draw was five. Five times $200,000 is a million."

Power Play also will pay the Turners a $5,000 incentive for selling the ticket. They have become the first Tennessee Lottery retailer to receive the incentive, the release said.

While the Turners are no million-dollar winners, they've got ideas about how to spend the incentive money.

"It will go in the bank for the kids' college funds - that's where all the other hard-working money goes for," Turner said.

The Tennessee Lottery began selling its first tickets on Jan. 20, 2004. As of Sept. 30, the lottery had raised more than $699.1 million to fund specific education programs, including college scholarships, pre-kindergarten and after-school programs.

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