13 State Employees to Share $224 Million Powerball Lottery Jackpot

Apr 14, 2006, 6:44 am (48 comments)

Powerball

A group of 13 Missouri state employees, who work for the Department of Social Services Family Support Division/Child Support Enforcement in Florissant, claimed the $224.2 million Powerball jackpot from the April 12 drawing.

The jackpot is the largest prize ever won in the Missouri Lottery's 20-year history and the seventh largest Powerball jackpot ever awarded in the nation.

The winners are: Cornelia Aversa, 61, of Ballwin; Juanita Miller, 57, of Black Jack; Madeleine Knox, 68, James Wydrzynski, 53, and Sandra Hayes, 46, all of Florissant; Kathey Tidwell, 54, of Highland, Ill.; Kathy Bowman, 48, of Roxana, Ill.; Marjorie Orcutt, 56,; Donna Paige, 44, Georgia Griffin, 57, Alice Williams, 58, and Robin Carlton, 36, all of St. Louis; and Michael Lang, 55, of St. Peters.

According to Jim Wydrzynski, the office manager, 11 of the members put $5 into the pool and two members — Alice Williams and Georgia Griffin — contributed $2.50. The jackpot prize will be split 12 ways, and William and Griffin will share 1/12 of the prize.

All of the members plan to take the cash amount, which works out to be approximately $8.5 million each before taxes for the 11 members who contributed $5 and approximately $4.2 million before taxes for the two members who contributed $2.50.

Wydrzynski said that for each drawing, new groups are formed depending on who would like to play, and employees take turns buying the tickets. Child Support Specialist Robin Carlton bought the group's winning Quick Pick tickets at QuikTrip, 2791 Dunn Road in St. Louis.

The six winning numbers were: 16, 26, 34, 35, 41 and the Powerball number was 24.

"I think everybody's life will be changed," said Wydrzynski. "One employee was going to retire May 1, so this kind of fits in with her plans.

"I'm not sure yet what I will do," said Wydrzynski. "I'm still trying to get over my shock. I think we want to pay off all our bills. I would like to visit my brother who lives in Australia."

Wydrzynski said three of the group's members found out about the win on Wednesday night, and none of them got any sleep. Those three showed up the next morning at the office to inform the other 10 members about their good fortune.

In addition to the group's win, QuikTrip will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

During this jackpot run, which began Feb. 19, the Missouri Lottery sold approximately $22 million in Powerball tickets, and approximately $8.6 million of those sales will go to Missouri's public education programs.

The Missouri Lottery is ranked second among the 30 Powerball member lotteries in terms of the number of jackpot winners with 24. Powerball jackpots won in Missouri total nearly $1 billion.

To date, there have been 211 jackpots worth $1 million sold by the Missouri Lottery since it began in 1986.

Kansas City infoZine

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SassysBaibeee's avatarSassysBaibeee

Well that's a good way to start off the weekend! lol

Congrats to the winners! And good luck to everyone on the MM tonight! And PB tomorrow night!! And if one of our dear friends here on lottery post hits it, Don't forget to remember SASSARI!!!! lol

Kiss Kiss!

SassyOhio's avatarSassyOhio

Congrats Winners!!  I can only imagine the feelings that your all feeling right now and hope that someday I will know that "shock"  I just hope that the local town has a back up plan for your positions!  ITs not just packaging meat ya know. There are children and familys that are depending on them for their next meal! So I guess if anyone is looking for a state job with state benefits they know where to go LOL. But tonight there is another oppertunity for yet another Lotto Pool Group to endure the wonderful shock, pleasure and wealth that these lucky 13 winners have and may the ladies of my pool be the next up to the plate to win!! They  never mentioned how long they had been playing their pool if any one hears  please let me know I would like to know!    And you know that is the second pool group with the count of 13 players that has won a big jackpot Maybe there is LUCK in the number 13 after all!!!! Well anyhow  GO LUCKY G's 6 This week We got another player!!!!!!!  The more the players the more the chances  I dont mind just a PEICE of the Pie!!!!!! Party

DoubleDown

A Quick pick yet again......

Dam those "systems":  full speed ahead with the computer picks !

BTW, anyone want to bet how long it will take before someone steps up and says that they were in the pool but were absent the day of the ticket purchase ?

tweetietoo's avatartweetietoo

Yep that will happen!!!!!

dvdiva's avatardvdiva

With all the group wins I'm wondering how many just by tickets for themselves anymore.

Uncle Jim

Another group win.  I'm with Diva on this one.  Given the way the game is structured and all the groups buying tickets I have to wonder if an individual player can win.

Jim 

Todd's avatarTodd

With all the group wins I'm wondering how many just by tickets for themselves anymore.

I post these news stories, so I have a good feel for what kind of winners are out there.  Most of the winners, by far, are solo players/winners.  (A "couple" claiming a prize is still a solo winner.)  You see an increase in pool winners for these big jackpots because the number of pools greatly increases when the jackpots get big.  But they are still the minority of winners.

winner2b

Congrats to them. MO is a great state. Tonight's my Night i Feel it in ma' timbers.

 

Sun Smiley

SassyOhio's avatarSassyOhio

A Quick pick yet again......

Dam those "systems":  full speed ahead with the computer picks !

BTW, anyone want to bet how long it will take before someone steps up and says that they were in the pool but were absent the day of the ticket purchase ?

That is why I do the Lotto Agreement and With each of my pool's I give new ones each day of the drawing and they are dated and stated onlu good for that days drawing and I list each player in the pool and they get copies of the numbers and I state in the pool agreement that PAST PARTICIPATION DOES NOT ALLOW TO ANY WINNINGS. IF YOU DID NOT ENTER THE DRAWING OF THE WINNING LOTTO YOU ARENT ENTITLED. And I tell them in every agreement the days that the drawings are on and the amount that we play and the deadline to have the money to me to be able to participate in the pool, NO WAY NO HOW is there anyone that didnt play there money in the pool of the day can come back on us. I seen to many horror stories about it so I made it VERY CLEAR!

DoubleDown

A Quick pick yet again......

Dam those "systems":  full speed ahead with the computer picks !

BTW, anyone want to bet how long it will take before someone steps up and says that they were in the pool but were absent the day of the ticket purchase ?

That is why I do the Lotto Agreement and With each of my pool's I give new ones each day of the drawing and they are dated and stated onlu good for that days drawing and I list each player in the pool and they get copies of the numbers and I state in the pool agreement that PAST PARTICIPATION DOES NOT ALLOW TO ANY WINNINGS. IF YOU DID NOT ENTER THE DRAWING OF THE WINNING LOTTO YOU ARENT ENTITLED. And I tell them in every agreement the days that the drawings are on and the amount that we play and the deadline to have the money to me to be able to participate in the pool, NO WAY NO HOW is there anyone that didnt play there money in the pool of the day can come back on us. I seen to many horror stories about it so I made it VERY CLEAR!

Very savvy..sounds like you got it together, Sassy.

Most pools are done at the spur of the moment when the jackpots are large, so having your ducks in a row is not the top priority.

I hope they don't encounter any difficulties, and judging by most of their ages, this is certainly a blessing for them at a good time in their lives.

Congrats to them !

DD 

LOTTOMIKE's avatarLOTTOMIKE

hopefully another lawsuit doesn't arise because someone got left out...

LottoGroups's avatarLottoGroups

Congratulations to the group. Another smart group of people who know how to overcome the overwhelming odds and still end up with a life-changing amount of money.

golotto

Sincere Congratulations ...to the employees who won  Cheers  Thumbs Up

Pools are nice and we've witnessed several pools pay off, but overall, I'd rather buy my tickets alone. Eleven contributing a total of $55 plus two adding another $5; the other recent pool win played $40 at the record jackpot level.

So at that unique moment when the jackpot reaches a specific level, such as a record level, any one of us can adequately 'compete' individually with the typical pool.

As mentioned previously, and looking back over the MUSL archives, pools certainly aren't the most common way jackpots have been hit. Many jackpots have been won playing five number sets or less.

RJOh's avatarRJOh

Lottery pools are a way for players who want more chances to win than they are willing to pay for or can afford and they work fine until a large sum of money is won and those  players who want to share the winnings but weren't willing or couldn't afford to pay before the drawing come forward.  They are the players who only want to be in the pool when it wins.

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