The Missouri winner who won half of the nearly $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot has come forward to claim his massive prize, according to Missouri Lottery.
The man, who the lottery did not identify, held one of two tickets sold that matched all the numbers on the September 6 drawing of the $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-largest US lottery jackpot ever won.
The man, who described himself as a homebody, said he’s looking forward to taking time off and spending time with his wife, according to a Missouri Lottery news release.
“I’m just going to do me for a year,” he said, while claiming his prize at Missouri Lottery headquarters in Jefferson City. “The perfect day is sitting at home doing what I do –– relaxing.”
Referring to his wife, he joked “she’s going to drag me out of town now.”
Each winning ticket holder can choose either an annuitized prize of $893.5 million or a lump sum payment of $410.3 million – both before taxes. The Missouri winnner opted for a one-time payment, Missouri lottery said.
The man noted the large sum was hard to fathom.
“I’m a millionaire, a multi-millionaire, and I’m doing laundry last night…” he said in disbelief, according to Missouri Lottery.
He described the sleepless nights between realizing his ticket was the winner, saying “It’s the best problem I’ve ever had.”
The winning ticket was purchased at a QuikTrip gas station in St. Louis, according to Missouri Lottery. The QuikTrip in St. Louis also received a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, it said.
The other winning ticket was sold at a Big’s convenience store in Fredericksburg, Texas – about 70 miles northwest of San Antonio, according to Texas Lottery.
The six winning numbers were – 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 with a red Powerball of 17, and a Power Play multiplier of 2.
The September 6 wins ended a streak of 42 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, a stretch dating back to May.
The largest Powerball jackpot remains the $2.04 billion prize won in California on November 7, 2022.
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