$228.9M Powerball lottery ticket sold in Minnesota

Aug 12, 2011, 8:13 am (27 comments)

Powerball

For a split second, John Nee of Apple Valley thought he might be the luckiest person in Minnesota.

On Thursday afternoon, Nee, 63, hadn't yet checked his Powerball ticket when he was told that a winning ticket worth $228.9 million, the biggest jackpot in state history, had been sold in Dakota County.

Alas, after hearing the numbers, Nee crumpled up his slip of paper and pined, "Like every week. It's not me. But that's all right. It will come."

The identity of the big winner is still a mystery, but the news that the ticket was purchased in Dakota County caused excitement and curiosity in convenience stores and gas stations for at least a day.

The winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn Wednesday night: 11-18-36-41-46 and Powerball 38. Lottery officials put the odds of winning at about 1 in 195.2 million.

"It wasn't me," Jerry Fleetwood said with a laugh as he pumped gas at a Burnsville SuperAmerica. He was happy, though, that the winner apparently is a Minnesotan.

For now, everyone waits for the winner to come through the door at lottery headquarters in Roseville to claim the prize.

"Some winners take a couple days. Some winners may not find out right away," said Emily Welker, a Minnesota State Lottery spokeswoman.

At the Apple Valley Kwik Trip near County Road 11, a sheet of paper with the winning numbers and news that the ticket had been bought in Minnesota was taped up on Thursday.

"We don't normally have it advertised, but we thought since it came from Minnesota, it was kind of a big deal," said Dustin Wilkening, an assistant store manager.

Wednesday evening, tickets were going fast, with some people buying 20 to 30 apiece up until the cutoff point, Wilkening said. For the last few hours, "I would say about every single one of them bought lotto tickets," Wilkening said.

The payout will be Powerball's largest since a $261 million jackpot in Ohio in June 2010. That winner took the lump-sum cash option for $134.9 million.

The winner can choose 30 annual payments or one lump-sum payment. In this case, the cash option is worth about $123.6 million ($83.7 million after tax withholding). The winner has a year from the drawing to claim the prize. According to state law, the winner's name and city of residence will be made public when the winner claims the prize.

The store that sold the winning ticket won't be revealed until the winner steps forward. That outlet will then receive a $50,000 bonus from the lottery.

This is Minnesota's 21st Powerball jackpot winner since the game began in 1992. The state has also had six jackpot winners of LottoAmerica, Powerball's predecessor.

The largest Powerball payout in Minnesota until Wednesday came in May 2008, when Paul and Sue Rosenau hit for $180.1 million.

The Rosenaus, who took the pretax lump sum of $88 million, put a portion of their winnings toward starting a nonprofit that helps families financially after the death of a child. The Rosenaus' 2-year-old granddaughter died in 2003 of a rare genetic disorder.

The couple was out of town Thursday and unavailable for comment, but their accountant, Dale Deraad, said "they're doing great. They still have every dime."

"They've been wise with their investments and wise with their philanthropy."

Powerball is played in Minnesota, 41 other states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The game marks its 20th anniversary next year.

Because there was a winner Wednesday, the prize reverts to $20 million for Saturday.

The price of a Powerball ticket will double from $1 to $2 starting Jan. 15. The minimum jackpot will also double, from $20 million to $40 million.

Nee, of Apple Valley, was back at it Thursday afternoon, buying a scratch ticket.

"I'm happy if I win $100," he said with a smile. "I wouldn't know what to do with all that money."

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Comments

sully16's avatarsully16

Congrats to the winner or winners.Enjoy

tnhope's avatartnhope

Congrats!!!!Thumbs Up

kalikgirl's avatarkalikgirl

Congratulations to the Winners! I am sure its a dream come true . I wish that I had played.:)

Slick Nick's avatarSlick Nick

You gotta be in it to win it...

freeobama's avatarfreeobama

Congrats to the winner(s). My turn is coming soon!Dance

ressuccess's avatarressuccess

Congratulations to the Powerball Jackpot winner. My prediction of making Powerball exceed $400 million is wrong.

cbr$'s avatarcbr$

Partycongrats to the winner or winners. can.t wait to hear if it is one or more winners, wow!

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Quote: Originally posted by sully16 on Aug 12, 2011

Congrats to the winner or winners.Enjoy

I Agree!

diamondpalace's avatardiamondpalace

Congrats to the winner!

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

Congrats to the winner/s !

Woo Hoo for the next big jackpot !

Dance

petergrfn

Congrats to the winner or winners!  Hope they have enough sense NOT to go public!  If they do go public and say I'm keeping my job and only buy a new dishwasher I may PukeLOL!

time*treat's avatartime*treat

If my accountant wanted to REMAIN such, he'd better not be yappin' to the press about what I still have. No No

dpoly1's avatardpoly1

The winners are Thomas and Kathleen Morris. There is a picture with their daughter on the Minnesota Lottery website. What lunkheads! They have put themselves and their daughter in danger. In PA we only need to give our name and town; and that will be all that they ever get from me, providing that I win a Jackpot !!!!!!!!!!

If they say that they don't know what to do with the money, I think that I will scream!

Hit With Stick

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Aug 12, 2011

The winners are Thomas and Kathleen Morris. There is a picture with their daughter on the Minnesota Lottery website. What lunkheads! They have put themselves and their daughter in danger. In PA we only need to give our name and town; and that will be all that they ever get from me, providing that I win a Jackpot !!!!!!!!!!

If they say that they don't know what to do with the money, I think that I will scream!

Hit With Stick

call it dumbluck,they're lucky,but dumb

TheGameGrl's avatarTheGameGrl

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Aug 12, 2011

The winners are Thomas and Kathleen Morris. There is a picture with their daughter on the Minnesota Lottery website. What lunkheads! They have put themselves and their daughter in danger. In PA we only need to give our name and town; and that will be all that they ever get from me, providing that I win a Jackpot !!!!!!!!!!

If they say that they don't know what to do with the money, I think that I will scream!

Hit With Stick

I wholeheartedly agree! ANyone who invest thru stocks and mutual funds right now with that money is in danger! Bank it or store it in a fireproof safe, but do not let it go to corporate companies who will lose if for ya at the drop of a dime!DIg out your own backyard before thinking stocks is the way to go....

Sorry losing 20k from a retirement fund is no fun no matter who ya are! Save your money and use it for good.

Let them plant their faces . Its not like I am going to go up to them and bother them. Most folks arent as evil as the media likes to depict, unfortunately people remember the bad incidences without understanding that some folks have to make a face to go with the money .....

Piaceri

Congrats to the winners. I hope they're on an extended vacation while they decide cash or annuity. Moochers do not care the winners don't have money in hand yet. Not a smart start for these winners, IMHO. Disapprove

Simba774

The husband said  he told the clerk the night before "You don't have to sell anymore tickets, because I have the winning ticket." My mother says that all the time and we have not won yet. I have heard winners say the dreamt they have won, they knew the were going to win, they joked about winning and actually won, they said they were going to lose and won, it was their last dollar. Every time I think we're going to win, it's won somewhere else. Let's just say if that day actually comes I'm going to be in complete shock. There's no way I'm going to believe it's real.

 

Congrats to the winners.

Simba774

Quote: Originally posted by dpoly1 on Aug 12, 2011

The winners are Thomas and Kathleen Morris. There is a picture with their daughter on the Minnesota Lottery website. What lunkheads! They have put themselves and their daughter in danger. In PA we only need to give our name and town; and that will be all that they ever get from me, providing that I win a Jackpot !!!!!!!!!!

If they say that they don't know what to do with the money, I think that I will scream!

Hit With Stick

We're going to pack before we even claim it, and we're going to make sure our faces never make onto a computer or television screen!

OldSchoolPa's avatarOldSchoolPa

Quote: Originally posted by petergrfn on Aug 12, 2011

Congrats to the winner or winners!  Hope they have enough sense NOT to go public!  If they do go public and say I'm keeping my job and only buy a new dishwasher I may PukeLOL!

It looks like the winners (a couple) have come forward to claim the jackpot.  They are an elderly couple (of course) who had just met with their financial advisor on Monday and they actually said, "Looks like the only way we are going to be able to retire is if we hit the lottery."  It looks like the lottery is now the new safety net.  Forget social security.  Well congrats.  We now know their names, but since I am overseas right now, I don't know if they have made a public appearance.  I did see the news article on MSN about them coming forward to claim the prize.

It is too bad I am so busy traveling and working to get caught up in "jackpot hysteria"...when the day finally comes that I hit the jackpot, I will not have any "cool" story to tell as I don't get caught up in whatever the jackpot happens to be at the time.  In my opinion, it is irrelevant unless you are actually holding the ticket that has the 6 matching numbers for that particular drawing.  And I hope that my day comes soon...I don't want to be a 60+ year old lottery winner....I want many potential years to enjoy all of the money!

Piaceri

Quote: Originally posted by OldSchoolPa on Aug 13, 2011

It looks like the winners (a couple) have come forward to claim the jackpot.  They are an elderly couple (of course) who had just met with their financial advisor on Monday and they actually said, "Looks like the only way we are going to be able to retire is if we hit the lottery."  It looks like the lottery is now the new safety net.  Forget social security.  Well congrats.  We now know their names, but since I am overseas right now, I don't know if they have made a public appearance.  I did see the news article on MSN about them coming forward to claim the prize.

It is too bad I am so busy traveling and working to get caught up in "jackpot hysteria"...when the day finally comes that I hit the jackpot, I will not have any "cool" story to tell as I don't get caught up in whatever the jackpot happens to be at the time.  In my opinion, it is irrelevant unless you are actually holding the ticket that has the 6 matching numbers for that particular drawing.  And I hope that my day comes soon...I don't want to be a 60+ year old lottery winner....I want many potential years to enjoy all of the money!

"Elderly"??? LOL. No way. 50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50. Haven't you heard? I'd guess they are late 50's. That is in no way "elderly". If you meant that because they spoke to their advisor and said later they could only retire if they hit the lottery... 30 yr olds say that these days. Hit With Stick

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Piaceri on Aug 13, 2011

"Elderly"??? LOL. No way. 50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50. Haven't you heard? I'd guess they are late 50's. That is in no way "elderly". If you meant that because they spoke to their advisor and said later they could only retire if they hit the lottery... 30 yr olds say that these days. Hit With Stick

 "they could only retire if they hit the lottery... 30 yr olds say that these days."

And unfortunately, those 30 yr olds could be right if we don't clean house in our government - real soon. 

petergrfn

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Aug 13, 2011

 "they could only retire if they hit the lottery... 30 yr olds say that these days."

And unfortunately, those 30 yr olds could be right if we don't clean house in our government - real soon. 

AMEN!   There isn't gonna be any retirement for people in their 50's or 60's for 30yr olds!   Social Security is banckrupt....medicare is going that way......  Investing in the stock market is too dangerous.  Might as well buy a lottery ticket!  But people in their 30's better be ready to work into their 80's or 90's........

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

LOL, these two winners aren't elderly.  They are in their early 60s, which classifies them as "late middle-aged."   

Seriously, do you really think that their now more common potential of living an additional 37 years isn't enough years to enjoy their newly won net millions of dollars?  To me (I'm just a few years shy of entering early middle-aged), 37 years is a LONG time, just shy of 4 decades, it's a lot of potential years of living full, fun, and well!!!

Simba774

Quote: Originally posted by ressuccess on Aug 12, 2011

Congratulations to the Powerball Jackpot winner. My prediction of making Powerball exceed $400 million is wrong.

I don't think that's ever going to happen, but I would love to having the winning ticket if it does.Lep

Khanstileon

Its going to be me getting that Jackpot very soon! I believe that!

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Quote: Originally posted by Piaceri on Aug 13, 2011

"Elderly"??? LOL. No way. 50 is the new 40, 60 is the new 50. Haven't you heard? I'd guess they are late 50's. That is in no way "elderly". If you meant that because they spoke to their advisor and said later they could only retire if they hit the lottery... 30 yr olds say that these days. Hit With Stick

You left tiggs out of the equation.

Is 90 the new 80?

tiggs95's avatartiggs95

Quote: Originally posted by rdgrnr on Aug 15, 2011

You left tiggs out of the equation.

Is 90 the new 80?

Close...butt no cigar...

End of comments
Subscribe to this news story