Minnesota man claims share of $448M Powerball jackpot

Aug 8, 2013, 5:47 pm (60 comments)

Powerball

Includes video report

Paul White's family gave him grief for years when he said he'd win the lottery one day. On Thursday, he showed them — to the tune of $86 million.

White, a project engineer from suburban Minneapolis, came forward Thursday as one of three winners in the $448 million Powerball jackpot, one of the largest in American history.

White showed up at the Minnesota lottery headquarters to claim a replica check made out for $149 million. Because White picked the instant-cash option, he'll get $86 million before taxes.

"It's crazy," he said. "I've gone through this in my mind so many times. You almost feel like it's coming true."

He added: "I think a lot of good things are going to come out of this, for not only my family and friends but for random people. I don't want to work for anybody else for the rest of my life for a paycheck."

White, 45, said he was lucky that both his parents were still alive and didn't really need the help, but he said he was looking forward to telling them they could pick out the cars and houses of their choice. He also said a sister in San Francisco who works with charity would have plans.

White joked to reporters that his boss "is going to end the day as my chauffeur."

He said he is a father of two teenagers and only plays Powerball once a month or so, or when the jackpot gets really big.

"I'm more of a scratch-off guy," he said. He said he didn't realize he was a winner until his significant other pestered him to look at the numbers. At first he told her he was too busy at work.

Still, he added: "I kind of thought I'd win someday."

The winning ticket in Minnesota was sold in Anoka County, part of greater Minneapolis-St. Paul. The two other winning tickets were sold in New Jersey, where state lottery officials also planned a press conference Thursday.

As suspense built over the winners, more than three dozen people were in for a million-dollar payday of their own, having matched five numbers.

The three big winners beat odds of one in 175 million to nail the winning numbers in a drawing Wednesday night. The lucky combination was 5, 25, 30, 58 and 59, with a Powerball of 32.

The jackpot was $425 million on Wednesday morning, but the rush of ticket-buyers pushed it to $448 million. The top four lottery prizes in U.S. history have all been in the past year and a half, including a record $656 million Mega Millions pot.

The winning Powerball tickets in New Jersey were sold at convenience stores in the towns of South Brunswick and Little Egg Harbor.

It could take a while to find out who else was lucky. Lottery rules in New Jersey allow winners a year to come forward and claim their prizes. Both Minnesota and New Jersey prohibit winners from claiming the jackpot anonymously, though.

Besides the jackpot, 38 people held tickets worth $1 million or more. They did it by matching the five non-Powerball numbers. Four of the 38 selected Power Play, which doubles the payout in exchange for paying $3 instead of $2 for the ticket.

The odds of winning $1 million are considerably better, though still astronomical — a little longer than one in 5 million.

Clusters of million-dollar winners tend to show up when the Powerball jackpot gets attention. Thirty-five people won $1 million or more in May, when a Florida widow was allowed to move ahead in line at a supermarket and took the $590 million jackpot.

In a Nov. 28, 2012, drawing, which was for $587 million, there were 66 winners of the $1 million, including eight Power Play people.

Powerball tweaked its rules last year to generate bigger jackpots. It doubled the price of a ticket to $2. It also cut the numbers available to pick, which made the odds ever so slightly better. Before, the odds of hitting it big were about one in 192 million.

Lottery officials acknowledge big jackpots aren't what they used to be.

"We certainly do see what we call jackpot fatigue," Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, told The Associated Press. "I've been around a long time, and remember when a $10 million jackpot in Illinois brought long lines and people from surrounding states to play that game."

Powerball is played in 43 states and the District of Columbia. The jackpot resets to an estimated $40 million for the next drawing, on Saturday night.

VIDEO: Watch the press conference

NBC, AP, Reuters

Comments

Jon D's avatarJon D

Congrats to Paul White!

The scratch-off playing, Powerball winning engineer!

Party

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

I agree with him in claiming before 24 hours are over after winning. Why wait? As long as he is not planning to do anything rash I think he will be fine.

dallascowboyfan's avatardallascowboyfan

Congratulation Mr. White & familyThumbs Up

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Quote: Originally posted by dallascowboyfan on Aug 8, 2013

Congratulation Mr. White & familyThumbs Up

Someone from OK hit the second prize with PP. Could that be you? Naughty

Nobody from MA hit the second prize.

Win$500Quick's avatarWin$500Quick

Congrats to the new millionaires.Thumbs Up

Piaceri

Congrats to the White family! PartyParty time for the Whites!

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Aug 8, 2013

I agree with him in claiming before 24 hours are over after winning. Why wait? As long as he is not planning to do anything rash I think he will be fine.

Skeptical a buck blind sez he'll be broke inside of 3 1/2 years

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Aug 8, 2013

I agree with him in claiming before 24 hours are over after winning. Why wait? As long as he is not planning to do anything rash I think he will be fine.

I cringe every time I read the "expert advice" from LP members who probably never met a financial adviser or formed a trust that give reasons why all jackpot winners should wait weeks to validate the ticket. This isn't directed at you, but even if he is planning on doing something rash, it's his money to spend.

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Quote: Originally posted by Stack47 on Aug 8, 2013

I cringe every time I read the "expert advice" from LP members who probably never met a financial adviser or formed a trust that give reasons why all jackpot winners should wait weeks to validate the ticket. This isn't directed at you, but even if he is planning on doing something rash, it's his money to spend.

He still can go to a financial adviser after claiming. Don't they take a few weeks to release the money anyways?

HaveABall's avatarHaveABall

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Aug 8, 2013

He still can go to a financial adviser after claiming. Don't they take a few weeks to release the money anyways?

The concern is usually that the winning ticket holder may have made a mistake in signing their own name to the back of the winning jackpot ticket and the official claim form.  Whereby not rushing and instead meeting with a very experienced/seasoned tax attorney, may have brought up the concept of ticket holder quickly forming a corporation or whatever, waiting 3 weeks for it to age, and then signing that name on the back of the ticket and official claim form.

Anyhow ... congratulations to this quick to claim huge net jackpot winner! Party

maringoman's avatarmaringoman

Quote: Originally posted by HaveABall on Aug 8, 2013

The concern is usually that the winning ticket holder may have made a mistake in signing their own name to the back of the winning jackpot ticket and the official claim form.  Whereby not rushing and instead meeting with a very experienced/seasoned tax attorney, may have brought up the concept of ticket holder quickly forming a corporation or whatever, waiting 3 weeks for it to age, and then signing that name on the back of the ticket and official claim form.

Anyhow ... congratulations to this quick to claim huge net jackpot winner! Party

I never knew the part of signing the ticket can take away the chance of claiming it as a corporation. I never sign my tickets anyways but its good that I have learned about this just in case.

haymaker's avatarhaymaker

Quote: Originally posted by hearsetrax on Aug 8, 2013

Skeptical a buck blind sez he'll be broke inside of 3 1/2 years

No, he's an engineer, and planning is what they do !

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Seem like nice people, God Bless 'em.

I'm glad to see that you can show up in a bowling shirt too.

Cuz I'll probably be in my bib overalls and smellin' like whiskey.

Just like always.

Stack47

Quote: Originally posted by maringoman on Aug 8, 2013

He still can go to a financial adviser after claiming. Don't they take a few weeks to release the money anyways?

Since we're talking about winning $86 million, getting a nice line a credit to get him started should be easy. From what I've read the state lotteries deduct 25% in Federal regardless if the winner forms a trust. It's possible an attorney with lots of experience might know a loophole, but how many people personally know such a lawyer or will they just be handing an unsigned ticket over to a stranger? 

There are many ways to decrease the almost 40% in Federal taxes without forming a trust. I always thought the point of claiming anonymously was avoid dealing with strangers, but unless the jackpot winner already has a good financial planner and a good lawyer, they are allowing strangers to tell them how to validate the ticket and invest the winnings. And not all that different than the "expert advice" we read on LP.

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