After ripping up lottery ticket, Montana pair claim $48.5M share of Powerball jackpot

Jun 25, 2010, 12:45 am (17 comments)

Powerball

HELENA, Mt. — Six lucky numbers turned into a life-changing, eight-figure payout for a pair of Helenans who Thursday discovered their share of a Powerball lotto jackpot will be some $48.5 million.

Kim Claassen, 55, and 23-year-old Joe Lamport Jr. have worked together at North West Home Health Care for several years, and over that time have intermittently purchased lottery tickets together with the understanding that they would split any winnings. Wednesday night, Claassen stopped at the Town Pump on North Montana Avenue, just up the street from the Montana Lottery headquarters, and bought $10 worth of tickets, including what turned out to be the winning combination, for that night's $96.9 million Powerball drawing.

The two are splitting the jackpot with the holder of another winning ticket sold in Ohio. It's the biggest single lotto payout in Montana history, eclipsing a $47 million Lotto America winner sold in Havre in 1991.

Claassen, who also works part time in distribution services for the Independent Record, said she slept just and hour-and-a-half between jobs Thursday morning, and was still in a state of shock Thursday afternoon.

"Mostly I've just got to let it sink in and let it feel real," she said. "It's going to have a huge impact on a lot of people's lives."

At a news event at the convenience store where the winning ticket was sold, Lamport said he wasn't sure what he'd do with his share of the winnings.

"I just want to go fishing," he laughed. "I'm not going to Disney World!"

Claassen very nearly let the winning ticket get away. She said she checked the lottery website Wednesday night, and believing her numbers were not winners, tore the ticket into four pieces and threw it away, and sent Lamport a text message saying, "We're not millionaires yet."

But Claassen had checked the site before Wednesday's winning numbers were updated. When a colleague told her Thursday that a winning ticket was sold at the Town Pump where she bought her chances, Claassen fished her ticket out of the trash, pieced it back together and discovered she had the winning numbers.

She brought the ticket to the Montana Lottery office, where its authenticity was confirmed.

"Once a winning ticket comes in, there's a validation process that our security team does," said Montana Lottery spokeswoman Jo Berg. "Then we sit down with the winners and talk to them about their names being public, and some of the steps they need to take as far as finding a lawyer and a financial adviser."

Claassen and Lamport have 60 days to decide whether they want to collect the $48.5 million as an annuity over 30 years, or if they'd prefer a single lump sum cash payment of around $25 million.

Both winners said they would help family members with their winnings. Claassen said she is recently divorced, "but we're still really good friends, so this will help him, too."

The odds of winning a Powerball drawing are astronomical. To win the jackpot, a ticket must match five numbers from a pool of 59, and an additional single number from a pool of 39 (the "powerball"). The odds of winning the jackpot are 195 million to 1.

Powerball tickets are sold in 42 states as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Montana's last Powerball jackpot ticket was sold in March 1999 to an East Glacier couple.

Helena Independent Record

Comments

Bagent's avatarBagent

The lady checks the tickets online, misreads her ticket and tears it up thinking it is not a winner. Crying  The lady didn't READ the date of the draw on the site and didn't realize that she was not looking at the wrong numbers.

I am shocked to hear a story like this.  If this lady isn't smart enough to read the site for the correct information, I fear that she will not have her millions for very long due to stupidity.

I hope that I am wrong about her but to start off like that sends chills down my spine and has the red flags a flying in warning.

 

Other than that, Congrats to the co-winner Joe for his win as well.

Nino224's avatarNino224

I think the guy who told her about the win should get a piece of that along with whomever usually takes out the trash, but didn't. Without them, there's no 49 mill!!

s5thomps's avatars5thomps

She almost threw away 25 million dollars after taxes!!! Just think about the anguish if she was not able to retrieve that ticket.  Congrats to the winners and I am happy she was able to recover the ticket.

 

   "You earn a living by what you get, You make a LIFE by what you give!"

 

                                                  Sir Winston Churchill

LotteryJunkiE99's avatarLotteryJunkiE99

PukeMONTHS LATER -     Had things been different..

And if she had remembered what numbers she played.......and figured out she tore up the ticket

by mistake.......   Well just look at the emoticon.   lol

 

SAVE THOSE TICKETS!!!   Clown    AT LEAST FOR A LITTLE WHILE!!! AND CHECK CHECK CHECK!!!     Star

AND DON'T CHECK WHEN IN THE MORN!!!!  HAHAHAHAHA .Sleepy

 

HOW'S EVERYONE'S VACATION GOING? Cool    GOT MY TEXAS MEGAS.... !     See Ya!

Raven62's avatarRaven62

Before Destroying Any Lottery Ticket: Check the Numbers: Double Check the Numbers: Triple Check the Numbers!

PS: Crosscheck the Date too! Thud

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

I don't understand why it's necessary to destroy losing tickets in the first place.  Just throw em away if you want. Why tear em up?

I keep mine in case the opportunity arises for a write-off but just dump them after the year is up.

Good thing she didn't burn the ticket.

savagegoose's avatarsavagegoose

just goes to shows ya, its all about dumb luck.

konane's avatarkonane

".....Claassen, who also works part time in distribution services for the Independent Record, said she slept just and hour-and-a-half between jobs Thursday morning, and was still in a state of shock Thursday afternoon......"

A job and part time job .... maybe she was very tired, functioning on auto-pilot when she tore up the ticket by mistake.

Good save, congrats to both winners!  Party

tiggs95's avatartiggs95

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Jun 25, 2010

I don't understand why it's necessary to destroy losing tickets in the first place.  Just throw em away if you want. Why tear em up?

I keep mine in case the opportunity arises for a write-off but just dump them after the year is up.

Good thing she didn't burn the ticket.

After the year is up you can use them in your outhouse ridge..

TheGameGrl's avatarTheGameGrl

Almost and What ifs- move aside. Not needed here..as Most of us ALMOST won too. Reality dictates- They claimed- They are winners. End of story.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Whoa! she would have wanted to die had she burnt the ticket. Here in Mass they will let you claim a jackpot after doing some investigations to prove your ticket was the winner even if you dont have the ticket... but only for MA based games only. For things like mega millions and powerball sorry, you on your own.

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

I triple check my tickets and them I keep them in case I win enough to report to the State. I would use them as a  tax deduction for gambling losses.

I am waiting for a big win ......... like everyone else !!!!!

Approve

dopey7719's avatardopey7719

WOW!!!  She is TRULY a lucky woman!  No...BLESSED::::>>>not only did she win...she threw it ALL away only to get it right back!  She should keep playing!

smoothhustlaa's avatarsmoothhustlaa

I wonder if the ticket had grease on it.....lol..But anyway she was lucky to get the ticket back

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