Louisiana nurse claims $34.1M Powerball lottery jackpot
Posted: 6/10/2008 7:50:59 PM
After 13 years of giving of herself as a neonatal intensive care nurse, it was Emilia Delgado's turn to receive when she won the $34.1 million Powerball jackpot from the May 31 drawing.
Ms. Delgado's win marked the third Powerball jackpot won in Louisiana in just the last eight months.
The 45-year-old Kenner resident said she is a regular Lottery player.
While taking her mother to a doctor's appointment, Delgado said she stopped for "less expensive" gas at Brothers Food Mart #115 on Terry Parkway in Gretna. With the gas, she also purchased the Powerball quick-pick ticket that netted her the jackpot.
Brothers Food Mart will receive a one-time bonus of $25,000 for selling the winning ticket.
Delgado recalled the exciting and unnerving process of checking her ticket against the winning numbers on the Lottery's Web site to discover she had won. She was so incredulous that she also went to buy a newspaper and drove by a Powerball jackpot billboard to make sure that the jackpot had indeed been hit.
The Powerball jackpot is advertised as a 30-installment annuity, but winners can opt to receive the cash value instead. Delgado chose the one-time cash prize payment option, which was $16,195,787.02. Lottery prizes of over $5,000 are subject to federal and state tax withholdings.
With her winnings, Delgado said she plans to help her family.
The winning numbers for the May 31 drawing were 03-09-14-17-25 and the Powerball was 08.
Delgado's lucky prize marks the 13th jackpot won in Louisiana since the Lottery joined the multi-state game in 1995, and the third jackpot won in the last eight months.
In addition to Delgado's win, the Powerball jackpot was won in Louisiana on Jan. 16 by Carl Hunter of Metairie, who claimed $97 million, and on Sept. 29, 2007, by William Heid Jr. of Chauvin, who claimed $15 million.
Thanks to MaddMike51 for the tip.
Source: Press Release, Lottery Post Staff
