Kansas man claims state's largest Powerball lottery jackpot one day after winning

Nov 14, 2009, 10:05 am (29 comments)

Powerball

Checks ticket, claims $96.6M jackpot... then tells wife

TOPEKA, Ks. — Donald Damon, 70, a lifelong resident of Great Bend, Kansas, Friday claimed the largest Powerball jackpot ever won in the state just one day after the drawing.

Damon was the sole winner of the $96.6 million Powerball jackpot drawn on Wednesday evening, Nov. 11.  He was introduced to the public Friday in a news conference that was held at Lottery headquarters in Topeka.

The winning numbers drawn Wednesday were 8, 12, 14, 22, and 29, with Powerball number 22.

Damon claimed his winnings at the Kansas Lottery's Great Bend office yesterday, shortly after realizing he'd become a multi-millionaire.

"[Thursday], my daughter Karen told me that someone had won the Powerball jackpot in south central Kansas on Wednesday," said Damon. "She said that she knew she hadn't won on her ticket, so I asked her to check my ticket. "

When Karen checked the ticket on the Lottery's website it became a life-changing moment.

"I told Dad he matched the Powerball number and he jokingly said that he must be the winner," said Karen. "When we realized he did have the winning ticket, we were both shocked."

Damon and Karen immediately hopped in the car and drove to the Kansas Lottery's Great Bend office.

"I wasn't sure how much I'd won," the winner said. "I figured it was $15 million. When they said it was $96.6 million, I about fell over. I've been saying for years that I was going to win a Powerball jackpot someday."

Once the paperwork was completed at the Great Bend office, Damon called his wife Kathleen at work and told her she should come home.

"I work at the Senior Center and we were having our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday," said Kathleen. "I wasn't going to leave until my work was finished."

Kathleen not only works at the Senior Center in Great Bend, she also has two other jobs. She works at a beauty salon and at Central Kansas Medical Center.

"It will be nice not having to get up at 4 a.m. anymore," said Kathleen.

The winner purchased his lucky $1 Quick Pick ticket at Dillons 51, located at 4107 10th St. in Great Bend. For selling a jackpot-winning ticket, Dillons 51 will receive a $10,000 selling bonus from the Kansas Lottery.

Damon had the choice of taking the annuity option of $96.6 million, which is paid in 30 payments over 29 years; or the cash option of $48.3 million, which is paid in one lump sum. He has decided to take the cash option. After taxes he will receive a check for $33,857,130.35.

Hopefully his wife was OK with the decision.

Now that he's a multi-millionaire, Damon plans to help a few local churches with a portion of his prize money. He also said he wanted to take his grandson Brendon to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday. Otherwise, he was undecided how he'd spend his winnings.

Kansas players have now won 10 Powerball jackpots. Kansas has also had eight Lotto America jackpot winners. Powerball replaced Lotto America in 1992. In addition, four Kansas players have each won Hot Lotto jackpots.

News story photo(Click to display full-size in gallery)

Thanks to Stephanie for the tip.

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Litebets27's avatarLitebets27

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Damon. A dream come true indeed. I bet it was an even bigger surprise that of that 96.6 million the take home will be 33.3 million. And after annual taxes it will be even less.

Don't get me wrong....It is still a fantastic win, that I wish I had won.

Just opening that beautiful package(96.6mil.) and finding it only 1/3 full with more penalities to follow...can be a bomber.

hearsetrax's avatarhearsetrax

Type I wish him luck and hope he spends it wisely

rdgrnr's avatarrdgrnr

Whoa, did you see the look on that woman's face? I've seen it before. I've been married to a couple women that used to get that look. She's gonna whoop him upside the head with a frying pan when they get home - that's the look she's got. And he's got that whooped pup look on his face already.

She's holding a check for 96 million and she still ain't happy!

Whoa, I need a drink.

Hell hath no fury...

mpat69's avatarmpat69

That is who I like to see win. People that actually could use the money. They have been around awhile and deserve a break. Good for them.

LottoPools's avatarLottoPools

Congrats to the winner. 

 

"Otherwise, he was undecided how he'd spend his winnings."

But  he may come to wish he had taken a little while to make some plans before he made his claim.

SmoothJuice

Another $1 Quick Pick!!!!!!

ONE IS ALL YOU NEED!!!

ThatScaryChick's avatarThatScaryChick

Congrats to them! They sure did claim it fast.

ConstantlyB's avatarConstantlyB

                 Hurray!Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Damon Dance

..."married to a couple of women and I know that look"..LOL  From the looks of him...he's been there before. He's going to be alright.

I just love stories like these. She was working 3 jobs!!! She's what Tyler Perry's character Brown would say," She's a goodun"!

Nino224's avatarNino224

A $1 quick pick. I love it.

dopey7719's avatardopey7719

Good 4 them!   Working 3 jobs at her age should be a crime.  I'm happy that they were blessed!  If it were me, I would have been at the claim office before the doors opened!  Just being honest...I think I'd go crazy from worry about the ticket coming up missing...or some freak accident happening...like it being washed in the laundry...or food spilling on it...or the wind blowing it away...or a fire destroying it.

LckyLary

What's bad about getting up at 4AM? I'd be stopping at Dunkin' Donuts for a coffee and doughnut and avoiding all the traffic and the annoying sun glare. But if I go that early then I'd have sun glare going home.

How come people are surprised/shocked etc. when they win? Do we play expecting to lose? If I expect that then I wouldn't play.

The majority of players on big drawings who don't play much otherwise, will get QP, so the majority of tickets out there are QP and thus are more often the winners. But it would be like saying "Most of the winning bonus balls are higher # than 01 so you should only play 02 and up." You have a guaranteed disadvantage with QP, unless it's a computerized drawing in which case QP might as well be one of your "algorithms".

I look forward to the day when "The winning powerball ticket was sold in nj."

wizeguy's avatarwizeguy

"I've been saying for years that I was going to win a Powerball jackpot someday."

 

We all do, lol Thumbs Up

 

Congrats to the lucky winner!

PERDUE

Congratulations to the family for the win. Soooooo happy for them.

BuyLow's avatarBuyLow

I hope he survives the beating at home and then realizes what 96 million beans is and contacts a good attorney and tax man.  He claimed it TOO fast IMHO.

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