Powerball: Indiana Resident Claims $12 Million Powerball JackpotA Muncie, Indiana man got the call of a lifetime recently.
On the other end was a store clerk who told James Allen that he won a 12-point-eight million-dollar Powerball jackpot.
Allen claimed his prize yesterday from a drawing held nearly two weeks ago, on November fifth.
Allen says he lets his tickets accumulate and drops them off at a retailer to have the clerk scan for winners. He returns later to collect any prize money.
Lottery officials say the clerk could have claimed the winning ticket without Allen's knowledge. Instead, the clerk called Allen and told him to return to the store immediately.
"He was shaking as he held my ticket," Allen said." He wouldn't even take a dime as a thank-you. He said at his business they are not allowed to accept money and he didn't want to be fired.
Allen said the clerk did not want to be identified and does not work at the store where Allen purchased his ticket.
The ticket was sold at 7:18 p.m. the day of the drawing at Village Pantry, 3301 N. Morrison Road, one of 498 tickets sold at the store that day.
Allen has two options. He can either get $6.7 million in cash immediately or receive payments for the next 30 years.
Allen's jackpot was the third in a row won with a ticket sold in Indiana. Indiana is the only Powerball state to produce three consecutive jackpot winners.