$232 million Powerball lottery winner from South Dakota lists ranch for sale

Sep 4, 2020, 11:18 am (14 comments)

After the Big Win

Rancher who won jackpot in 2009 will move on from sprawling property he purchased with winnings

By Kate Northrop

VALE, S.D. — A South Dakota rancher who won a $232 Powerball jackpot in 2009 is selling the sprawling near-50,000 acre property he purchased with his lottery winnings.

Neal Wanless, then 23 years old, lived up to his reputation as a young and ambitious cowboy after buying and amassing an extensive working ranch with his Powerball winnings. He originally took home a lump sum prize of $88.5 million after taxes were deducted.

Eleven years later, the Bismarck Trail Ranch is listed for sale with Hall & Hall for $41.15 million.

After purchasing the ranch in 2009, Wanless made a number of improvements, which are included in the listing. The ranch boasts four custom homes, numerous working facilities and Morton outbuildings, new equestrian amenities, and space for thousands of cows and wild horses to roam.

"The main improvements are immaculate, very well built, and well maintained," said Robb Nelson, the broker of the property said. "You can clearly see the pride in ownership that the seller has had!"

Listing agents remarked that Wanless is selling the ranch to be able to spend more time with his in-laws at their cattle ranch in Canada.

The Powerball winner didn't always have financial security and a stable work-life. Before Wanless had scooped the jackpot, which was one of the largest undivided prizes in U.S. history at the time, he and his family raised cattle, sheep, and horses on a 320-acre ranch in the nation's seventh-poorest county (ranked in 2007). They did not own a phone, and a mobile home of their was repossessed a year before they got their lucky break. According to a neighboring farmer, they were just getting by.

"They've been real short on finances for a long time," Dave Assman, a neighboring landowner said. "They are from real meager means, I guess you'd say."

The family also earned extra cash on the side by selling scrap metal, but that source of income dwindled as the price of iron dropped.

"They work hard, backbreaking hard work," family friend Cath Vrbka added.

The Bismarck Trail Ranch was the well-deserved home and livelihood of a lottery player who went from rags to riches. Now, someone else will get to enjoy and make use of the stretching land and facilities.

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

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

Lottery Post Staff

Comments

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

That property definitely took a lot of money to MAINTAINYes Nod

That's the thing for me with these big lottery purchases, it's the cost to maintain, the monthly bills.

He had fun with it for 11 years.

AceKicka's avatarAceKicka

Jack-in-the-Box ..... said Dave, (what kind of) man??   ROFL  Green laugh

Raven62's avatarRaven62

When Dreams Change: It's Okay to Let Go and Move On;

https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-dreams-change-its-okay-to-let-go-and-move-on/

Good Luck with your new dreams and your PowerBall Winnings!

Vergie6

Quote: Originally posted by Raven62 on Sep 4, 2020

When Dreams Change: It's Okay to Let Go and Move On;

https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-dreams-change-its-okay-to-let-go-and-move-on/

Good Luck with your new dreams and your PowerBall Winnings!

Thanks Raven...saw my therapist this morning with a virtual visit & she told me some

of the same things in that article!

It sure would be nice to move on with a Powerball win though like this person is doing!

You come up with the very best articles!See Ya!

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by Nikkicute on Sep 4, 2020

That property definitely took a lot of money to MAINTAINYes Nod

That's the thing for me with these big lottery purchases, it's the cost to maintain, the monthly bills.

He had fun with it for 11 years.

I Agree!Like minds think alike.    And seriously, who would buy it?   Movie moguls tend to buy huge tracts in Montana from what I've seen, i.e. Ted Turner et al.

noise-gate

$41 mil? That's half his original jackpot payout. He had better have a private airstrip, a 10 storey 5 star hotel with a casino on site,including a theme park, a game reserve with the Big 5, cause that asking price is a bridge to far imho. But hey, if you into the ranch life style, go for it.

music*'s avatarmusic*

His Mother is mentioned in the article but his Dad isn't. News of his in-laws and bride is new to me. I wonder if they have children. I wish him the best life in Canada. 

 Sounds like he enjoyed his life after his big win. Those winnings helped him work even harder. 

Droptop209's avatarDroptop209

"You want 41 Million,  I'll give you 8 million thats my final offer.  Take it or leave it"

 

---Rick Harrison

noise-gate

Is it just me or doesn't the entrance to that ranch look like the ranch at the end of Castaway- the movie, where Hanks dropped off that package? Ok, let's drop the 10 storey hotel, casino & theme park from my previous post. The airstrip & game reserve stay though.Big Smile

Ameru

😂😂😂😂😂

Bleudog101

Quote: Originally posted by Ameru on Sep 6, 2020

😂😂😂😂😂

Hey Ameru...how about your lottery paying out over $9 million Wednesday on Quad zeros?!!   Hope you were a winner too.

billybucks

If you hit the lottery big do not buy a sprawling house or estate that costs a fortune to maintain. You will end up with rooms you will never go into but have to pay for. The maintenance for the grounds and pool that you end up using 2 or 3 times a year will be a headache. You will go to bed at night wondering why you did it. You will never have time to tend to all of it or it will consume all your time if you try. A smaller house with all the bells and whistles on all the things you enjoy doing is a better way to go. You don't need 400,000.0o worth of vehicles either. Yes, you need two top of the line vehicles in case one is in the shop. You don't need a yacht or even a boat unless you have lakeside property.

Nikkicute's avatarNikkicute

Quote: Originally posted by billybucks on Sep 6, 2020

If you hit the lottery big do not buy a sprawling house or estate that costs a fortune to maintain. You will end up with rooms you will never go into but have to pay for. The maintenance for the grounds and pool that you end up using 2 or 3 times a year will be a headache. You will go to bed at night wondering why you did it. You will never have time to tend to all of it or it will consume all your time if you try. A smaller house with all the bells and whistles on all the things you enjoy doing is a better way to go. You don't need 400,000.0o worth of vehicles either. Yes, you need two top of the line vehicles in case one is in the shop. You don't need a yacht or even a boat unless you have lakeside property.

I Agree!

Bleudog101

Like I always say, you can only be in one room @ a time.   So much wasted space.

And my good friend saying 'Oh look @ that Mercedes'.   Have to remind him I was stationed in Deutschland for 39 months and I say 'Ein Deutsches Taxi'===a Daimlier Mercedes Benz!

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