Thirty-four of the winners are members of the unit known as the "Kansas Coyotes" - the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard, based at Forbes Field in Topeka. Nine are friends and family members. One is a member of the Kansas Army Guard. All are from Topeka or the surrounding area.

They pooled their money in an attempt to win the $340 million record-breaking Powerball jackpot in the Oct. 19 drawing. They came incredibly close, missing only the Powerball number. The winning numbers were 7, 21, 43, 44, 49, and 29 for the Powerball. Their ticket was 7, 21, 43, 44, 49, and 26 for the Powerball.

"I knew we had won $200,000 for matching the first five numbers," said Chief Master Sergeant Ivan Perez. "But it wasn't until I called the Kansas Lottery office that I learned about the extra $653,492. I was absolutely thrilled!"

The group reaped the benefit of the Match 5 Bonus Prize (more information below), which kicked in for the first time ever on Oct. 19 when the jackpot hit a new record high. The Match 5 Bonus Prize Pool reached $32 million, which was split evenly among 49 tickets that matched the first five winning numbers. Each ticket's share was $653,492.

The "Kansas Coyotes" group has been pooling their money for Powerball drawings for several years. Every time the jackpot reaches $100 million, they start another pool and start dreaming about what they'd do if they hit it big.

"I've had my speech ready for years," said Perez, who organized the pool and claimed the ticket for the group. "I asked everybody to come to one of our meeting rooms during the morning break. As they came in, I gave each one a Styrofoam cup filled with water."

"One of our tickets did pretty good," I told them. "It matched all five of the first five numbers, which pays $200,000. And, guess what? They're running a special!" Then Sgt. Perez pulled down a screen on which he had written: $853,49.

"Everybody cheered, and we had a big toast with our Styrofoam cups and our water," he said. "It's a great win. It's not enough to really change a person's life, but it sure is going to benefit a lot of people."

"The 190th Air National Guard Air Refueling Wing has a commendable record of service to our country. More than 100 members have deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding counties in just the last six months. Members have also been called upon to aid in the wake of Hurricane Katrina," said Lt. Governor John Moore. "Now 34 members of the unit, some of their family members, friends, and one member of the Kansas Army Guard have won over $850,000. I am very happy for these winners. It is a real pleasure for me to be part of this ceremony."

After mandatory federal and state taxes are withheld, the group will split $597,444. Each winner will receive from $4,631 to $27,788, after taxes, depending on the amount each contributed to the $215 they used to buy tickets for the Oct. 19 drawing.

The group bought their Quick Pick tickets at five different Lottery retailers on the evening of October 16. The winning ticket was purchased at Harris, Inc., 2701 S.E. California Ave., Topeka.

The October 19 Powerball drawing produced 91,671 Kansas Lottery winners at all prize levels. The record-breaking $340 million jackpot was won on a single ticket in Oregon.

Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL), a non-profit, government-benefit association owned and operated by its member lotteries.

The Match 5 Bonus Prize

This feature was added to Powerball in 2002. It is only used when the jackpot hits a new record high. Here's how the Match 5 Bonus Prize Pool works:

• For the run, the jackpot is limited to an increase of $25 million per draw.
• Money over $25 million goes into the Match 5 Bonus Prize Pool, where it accumulates until there is a jackpot winner.
• When the jackpot is hit, the Match 5 Bonus Prize Pool is divided equally among all "Match 5" tickets in the drawing.
• The Match 5 Bonus Prize is in addition to the regular Match 5 prize or Match 5 with Power Play prize.