The ticket was bought in the town of Raymond at a Hannaford supermarket, but the New Hampshire family have decided to remain anonymous. They sent attorneys to claim their money and attend a news conference, where it was confirmed that the cash option had been taken, giving the family a payout of $256 million after taxes.
The money will be placed in a trust and lawyers confirmed that the family planned to use some of it to help charitable causes, starting with an immediate $100,000 donation. Attorney William Shaheen added: “There couldn’t have been two better people or a better family to win this money. They’re going to do great things with it.”
While Powerball winners are only allowed to keep their identities secret in a small number of states, other jurisdictions like New Hampshire let players claim prizes through trusts and only dictate that the name of the trust has to be announced. This allows winners like the family from July’s draw to stay away from the spotlight as they consider what to do with the money.
The latest win marks the tenth time that the jackpot has been won in New Hampshire, and is the biggest Powerball prize to have been given away since a record $1.586 billion was split between three participants on 13th January 2016. The biggest prize won by a single ticket on Powerball remains the $590.5 million that Gloria Mackenzie from Florida claimed in March 2013.
The Powerball jackpot has not been won since the family from New Hampshire struck lucky and has now climbed to $222 million following another rollover on Saturday. Players can buy tickets for Wednesday’s draw by either visiting authorised retailers in participating states or playing online from around the world, and it could just be that someone matches the success of the family from New Hampshire.
