The numbers drawn on Wednesday 22nd February were 10, 13, 28, 52 and 61, with Powerball 2. The winning ticket was sold at a convenience store in Lafayette, about 60 miles away from Indianapolis, and the lucky player has now got in touch with Hoosier Lottery officials.
Rather than accept the full jackpot amount, spread out over 30 annual instalments, the ticket holder has decided to take the cash option. Hoosier Lottery director Sarah Taylor confirmed at a press conference on Monday that the lump-sum payment worked out at $189.1 million, after federal and state taxes were withheld.
Indiana is one of the few states which allows big winners to keep their identities private, so the money is being paid to a limited liability corporation set up on behalf of the player. All that has been revealed about the winner is that he is a Purdue University graduate who works at a Lafayette manufacturing facility.
He bought five Powerball tickets for draw on 22nd February, and was stunned to discover he had won. A representative of his LLC reportedly told WTTV: “He tried calling his brother later that morning, but he didn’t answer. He then called his dad, who joked, ‘I thought you were calling to say that you won the lottery?’ to which the winner replied, ‘Maybe I did!’”
The Powerball jackpot has started to grow again since the player from Indiana struck lucky, and a rollover on Saturday pushed the top prize up to $123 million for Wednesday night’s draw.