A $5-per-person lottery pool netted a group of Bath Iron Works employees $200,000 from Powerball over the weekend.

The 32 workers drove to Augusta on Monday to claim their prize. After taxes, they'll get about $4,400 each.

The winning ticket was sold by One Stop Convenience Store & Deli in Bath. Owner Wendy Morris learned about the win - the biggest in the store's history - from one of her regular customers Monday morning.

"He gave me a hug and he whispered it in my ear," Morris said.

The workers routinely pool $5 each to play Powerball, lottery officials said. Although they've won small amounts in the past, this was their first large prize.

To win $200,000, the workers had to match five numbers. They didn't match the Powerball number. If they had gotten that sixth number, they would have won $143 million and become the first Powerball jackpot winners in Maine.

They also didn't choose the Power Play option, which would have cost a dollar more but would have bumped up their prize to $1 million.

"But they were still happy," said Michael Boardman, assistant director for the bureau that deals with the lottery.

Five-number lottery winners are not unusual in Maine. Lottery officials said the state sees $200,000 pot winners about once a month.

Through the Bureau of Alcohol Beverages and Lottery Operations, the workers declined to comment on Monday. The workers live in several area towns, including Auburn, Chesterville, Fairfield, Greene, Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, Litchfield, Mechanic Falls and Sabattus, according to the bureau.

Powerball is played in 32 states, with winning numbers drawn on Saturdays and Wednesdays. This Wednesday's jackpot is estimated at $162 million.