MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — For the first time in history, the winning Powerball jackpot ticket was sold at a Vermont retailer, Vermont Lottery officials announced Thursday.
The winning ticket was sold in Middlebury, at the Short Stop gas station on Court Street — part of the Jolley chain of gas stations.
The owner of the lucky ticket, who has not stepped forward to claim the windfall yet, won a payout worth $366.7 million spread out over 30 years, which they could take as an immediate cash payout of $208.5 million.
"Isn't that awesome?" said Wendy Knight, the commissioner for the Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery.
Vermont will receive 6% of the proceeds from the payout in taxes, which, if the winner accepts his money in annuity, will come out to about $32 million.
However, the previous 60 winners have all chosen to receive their money in cash, with the last winner choosing annuity in 2014.
The Jolley chain will also benefit of its own from the jackpot. The retailers who sell winning Powerball tickets receive bonuses for prizes worth more than $500. Retailers receive 1% of the proceeds, which would be $3 million in this case, except that bonuses are capped at $30,000.
"You can't win if you don't play," said Shawn Bartlett, general manager of Jolley Associates in a press release. "It's good to see someone have a Jolley day."
Deb Alger, manager of the Jolley chain in Middlebury who has worked there for 28 years, spoke to how exciting this is for the store and the local community.
"It's a positive that this town has needed," said Alger. "I hope it's someone that has been coming in here for a while. It would be really cool if it was one of our regular customers."
The Powerball Jackpot requires six matching numbers in order to win, giving the player a 1 in 292,202,338 chance of winning. The likelihood that the winner buys their ticket in Vermont is even smaller, with only about 2 million tickets sold in Vermont last year.
This week's winning numbers, which were drawn Wednesday evening, were 8, 40, 49, 58, and 63, with Powerball number 14. The Power Play was 3.
Powerball lottery tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Fourteen states have won more than 10 times, with Indiana leading the pack with 39. Arkansas, Virginia and Washington have also only won once, with nine other participating states yet to sell the winning ticket.
This was the fourth Powerball jackpot won this year, with the other lucky tickets purchased in Arizona, Connecticut, California, and Wisconsin (separate California and Wisconsin tickets shared the total prize).
Commissioner Knight hopes the win will generate lottery excitement within the state, though urges players to play responsibly and seek help through their partnership with the Howard Center, if need be.
Deputy Commissioner Andrew Collier also issued a press release on the victory.
"The Vermont Lottery is thrilled to have our first ever Powerball Jackpot winner in Vermont. This is an exciting win for Vermont lottery players, the Education Fund, and the state."
Hoping it is a local that won this and not a tourist!!
Noticed on their website 'small' wins just first name and amount won; however larger wins had their picture with the souvenir check--first and last name on it.
Am curious if this was a QP???
Yes, a Jolley time to be had and congratulations on this monstrous win!
I was looking on VT's website and PB's website and couldn't find any info if it was a QP or not.
Would be nice to know.
Thinking I messed up the email to them I called.
She said (and it was so NICE to talk to the Lottery, not IGT) that they still don't know if it was QP or picked numbers. Love the Vermont accent!!
Out of all the states, Vermont. That's interesting.
Now wander73...what would say had it been Puerto Rico or US Virgin Islands...two possessions? Anyway your post made me laugh being a native New Englander!
Vermont lets winners claim via trust, the name of which is public. If the winner chooses a nondescript name or a red herring name, they can probably stay anonymous. I would name mine "Three Optometrists" since I'm not in a group of three and not an optometrist.
Very good idea. I fear that if it's a regular customer those nosy gas station owners are going to dig dig dig dig dig until they get a lead. I'd bet the winners from small towns who get their tickets from the same store they've been going to for years a the ones who have the most trouble hiding the fact they won.
Also reminds me I once knew a set of identical triplet optometrists who worked at the same office. The day I got my new glasses, two of them mysteriously stopped working there. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
yes it is right now as a lot of vacationers come to vermont to escape hot weather but 90 degrees today.nights cool off a lot in 50-60 range,i saw neighbors going camping on lakes ,etc. here today.Indiana has won PB 39 times,is that because it's half way in middle of USA?
I thought someone in Vermont had won the PowerBall Jackpot before this past Wednesday.
It's the first time a ticket sold in Vermont won the Powerball jackpot.
* The players in NY, FL & CA were tired of hearing " those States always win" so they decided to " sit this jackpot out" and have a jackpot jump ball to players in other States besides the big 3.
* So great was their generosity that the players in FL CA & NY refused to even pick up 2nd prize, they left it all out on the floor for other players. After pouring millions into the PB, they came through big-time for Vermont. Word on the street is that the actor Luis Guzman bagged this one.
i haven't heard on news if it was a quick pick or who won it,i think Indiana won it 39 times though.
People mention that statistic about Indiana quite often, but remember that the jackpot was won several times in Indiana at a time when Powerball was just played in smaller states (which was in fact the entire reason for creating the game), and Indiana was among the biggest states participating.
A much better look at which states most often sell winning tickets would be the time since the Powerball/Mega Millions cross-selling agreement. You can see the results of that in one of our feature videos.
"they still don't know if it was QP or picked numbers."
How can they not know? It's not really important in the scheme of things, but the ticket record will have all of the details about the ticket, and I'm pretty sure they don't just do a database search to see if a ticket has the winning numbers and then announce that VT sold a winner without checking the specific ticket record.
As for VT selling its first winner, they've sold an average of about 23,000 tickets over the last 5 drawings. In the past the odds were a lot better, but selling 25,000 tickets per drawing with the current odds should produce a winner about every 11,680 drawings. With 3 drawings per week that's 1 every 75 years, so even accounting for lower odds in the past they're probably ahead of the game.
Call them on 5 JUL 22 like I did and ask. They have to know.
Wth the high numbers, my guess is QP.
I know some numerology. thats all I will say. I know where you're from just from past postings :)
I agree. Maybe something in the will. decent answer. My signature would be I know nothing.
944 265
From the OP;
For the first time in history, the winning Powerball jackpot ticket was sold at a Vermont retailer, Vermont Lottery officials announced Thursday.
///////////////////////////////////I can't wait for someone (guess who!) to sat " It's always Vermont!"
Congrats to the winner.
As long as it wasn't Ben or Jerry.
off topic : check out my blogs new post
the Lottery Lawyer Won Their Trust, Then Lost Their Mega Millions
A fascinating article. Taking advantage of folks who weren't /aren't used to having a sudden windfall and an easy target for these thugs.
The part of the red car following that guy and wearing a hockey mask was off the chain. Glad he lost him.
Would love a follow up to this story to see how convictions went. The sad part is those folks probably won't get any of their lottery money ever...all gone.
I'm so happy, for "1" single man or woman.
Exactly why I'm glad I stick with better odds (pick 4)
Wish 100 or more won, to get 1 MILLION each, in Multi-states east, coast,
mid-west/west coast, but AGAIN it's not to be. More to go around, at least 100 winners, and still would be enough left
over, for uncle sam to get his share for the taxes etc., al., always more awesome to see more than "1" person get such,
a big win like that. but, nice some 1 got it." Yes, WANDER is quite interesting, it was a winning ticket, in Vermont, but congrats."
LOL,congrats to the lucky winner.
Those Vermonters are always winning!!
* Curiosity here: why do players want to know whether it was a qp or a self pick, after all any numbers can win. Kinda sounds like " paper or plastic" to me.
because some people make their own numbers and wonder if they have any chance if the numbers are picked by computer and it isn't won as it picks numbers that no one picks for many weeks.
wow,still not claimed as of last night.maybe it was a camper or canadian,vacationer,etc..