Holder of ticket sold at store near York will split $221.5 million with S.C. winner
A Powerball ticket whose owner can claim half of a $221.5 million New Year's Eve jackpot was sold at a convenience store outside York, officials said yesterday.
"Our employees are riding really high right now, because they know somebody on the staff sold the winning ticket," said Scott Hartman, the president of Rutter's Farm Stores, a chain of 51 convenience stores. The ticket sold at the chain's Arsenal Road store in a mostly residential area is the most valuable ticket the chain has ever sold, he said.
"The largest one I can remember was about $50,000, and that was quite a few years ago," Hartman said.
The ticket matched the winning numbers 5, 7, 18, 28 and 35. The Powerball number was 1. Another winning Powerball ticket was sold in South Carolina.
"We don't know the winner and we probably won't know today," said Steve Kniley, press secretary for the Revenue Department. "The experience with this is that it will be days, if not weeks, before a winner is announced. We advise people to take their time and consult with financial advisers before coming forward."
For the Powerball winners, each ticket is worth $110.75 million over 30 years or a one-time payment of $60.1 million before taxes.
Ed Mahlman, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, said he was especially excited about the timing of the jackpot.
"It happens, of course, very fittingly, on Jan. 1, the start of the new year, the very same day the expanded PACE and PACENET programs go into effect," Mahlman said. Those prescription drug programs for senior citizens, which are funded by lottery revenues, are expected to get about 100,000 more people participating under a new law raising income eligibility that took effect yesterday.
The winning Powerball ticket in South Carolina was sold at Coit McCarter's Clover Shop and Save store in Clover, a small town near the North Carolina line. McCarter said he isn't sure the four-leaf clover that replaces the "o" in Clover in his store's name makes the store lucky, "but you like to feel it does."
Along with the big prize ticket, McCarter's sold a ticket worth $5,000 in Wednesday's drawing. About three months ago, one of his customers bought a ticket worth $300,000.
No one visited the store yesterday morning to show off the winning ticket, McCarter said. The winner will have to wait until lottery offices reopen today to claim the prize, said spokeswoman Tara Robertson.
"First thing tomorrow morning, we'll be glad to give them everything they ever wanted," Robertson said.
The nation's other large multistate lottery, Mega Millions, has a $162 million jackpot that has gone unclaimed, Ohio Lottery spokeswoman Mardele Cohen said.
A ticket sold at a convenience store in the Cleveland suburb of South Euclid was the only one in the 11-state jackpot that matched all the numbers in Tuesday night's drawing.
The winning numbers were 12, 18, 21, 32 and 46. The Mega Ball number was 49.
By the time lottery offices closed for the holiday late Wednesday, no one had claimed the prize.
"Some people who win big jackpots need the time to plan what they're going to do," Cohen said. Ohio lottery winners have 180 days to stake their claim.
Mega Millions is played in 11 states. Powerball is played in 24 states and Washington, D.C.
When redeeming the Mega Millions ticket, the winner or winners may choose between an immediate cash payout of $95 million before taxes or $162 million over 26 years, Cohen said Wednesday. The lump-sum payment would be about $67.9 million after taxes, she said.
The biggest single-ticket winner in the world is Jack Whittaker Jr. of West Virginia. He won a $314.9 million jackpot in Powerball in December 2002.
I bet the store owner won't care much for the coming Match-6.
PA players are certainly raking in their share of Powerball jackpots!.... I hope it's MY turn soon...
Connecticut hasn't had a PB winner since June 1997...back then, the original format (5/45+1/45), no cash option...