Patiently finishes four-month workload before redeeming the winning ticket
After nearly four months of keeping a secret, 73-year-old Carl Hunter of Metairie claimed the $97 million Powerball jackpot from the Jan. 16 drawing at Louisiana Lottery headquarters this morning.
His prize was the largest single amount won in the Louisiana Lottery's history.
The owner of a construction company, Hunter wanted to make sure his outstanding jobs were complete before "closing up shop" to redeem his winning ticket. He said he plans to use his winnings to retire, travel and rebuild a camp he lost during Hurricane Katrina.
Hunter was picking up a gallon of milk for his wife when he decided to also purchase one Powerball "quick pick" at West Metairie Shell on West Metairie Avenue in Metairie.
"There was a person in line in front of me and behind me also purchasing tickets for the drawing. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," described Hunter, surprised and humble.
The store received a one-time bonus of $25,000 for selling Hunter his winning ticket.
The Powerball jackpot is advertised as a 30-installment annuity, but winners can opt to receive the cash value instead. Hunter chose the one-time cash payment option, which was $48,478,863 or $33,935,204 after federal and state withholdings.
Another jackpot winner that bought a single QP, my system playing is wasting my money and my time. Congratulations to the lucky winner.
When I think about all the qpicks I buy, I really just wanna go to another planet!
Good luck to them!
Wow! Just $1 quick pick!
Wish it was that easy! oh hum.
I'm beginning to think that also!
Maybe it would be a good idea to buy each pick seperately?
Just another qp huh!!! I am sticking to my guns and My number will show sooner or later
Wonder if the people in front of him and behind him were heard to be talking about their systems, number results analysis methods, and predictions!!!!
Maybe those things just aggravate the Lottery Fairy!
Meanwhile this lucky guy and his $1 QP made a $97,000,000 score.
My sentiments exactly. Just buy 1 QP. Apparently that is the only way to win these huge jackpots. Doubly frustrating is that he probably plays once a year.
Congrats to the lucky winner!
I play both MM and PB... only $1 each draw and a quikpik... maybe my day will come too :-).
That was good of him to finish whatever projects he was building. I bet he also spent that time getting legal and financial advice, too.
73-year-old Carl Hunter of Metairie claimed the $97 million
Another older than dirt lottery player wins.
"ME TOO".........BUTT^^
The people in the GREAT state of LA >>>>>> RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
The BEST PEOPLE in the WORLD & the UNIVERSE>>>>>>>>>>>>>
T@@K a PSYKOMO a whole week to get-UP the "COURAGE" to >>>
"CRAY FISH" thank's BATON ROUGE
LOL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> (EAT DATTT JACKPOT>>>>>>>UP)
PSYKOMO
As an owner of a construction company, I would imagine he already had financial advisors.
As the ex-wife of a construction company owner, I agree. However, the advice he receives regarding his construction company and related earnings would vary quite a bit from a winfall jackpot win of $97m. Just because his current advisor is good at managing the fruits of his labors, does not make them qualified to assist with a windfall of $97 million (or whatever the cash option came out to be). If that advisor was smart, he would have known right away to assemble a team of advisors for the best possible advantage of his client.
Either way, the guy looks like he's got his sh** together. Best of luck to him, and his what looks to be much younger wife.
Once in a while I cast a net at megamillions but to no avail. It can be quite frustrating, but it's so hard to pass up without giving it a good go once in a while, especially when the pots up there pretty high.
Maybe one day my luck will change for the better, and good luck to you!
I considered this, but the clerks are so impatient, and just aren't the nicest of people! I do a few here and a few there, but at the end of the day, I think I'll just have to be lucky!!
I actually did it on the last drawing and had a lot fewer repeating numbers, but still didn't win anything. I did it again today while I was out of town and in "the city" at Meijer... I asked and the woman doing the lottery for it but she just gave me five on one ticket instead but bought the ticket anyway though it had one number that was repeated on each play, plus a couple other numbers that repeated. Bought five more right after and had no duplicates with the five numbers though I think there were a couple that matched the first five, just before leaving 37 minutes later I bought one more easy pick. That one matches three numbers as one I bought eariler, two of those numbers being sequential.
Then bought five more individually at the store's gas station (after getting some $4/gal fuel) and the guy there didn't seem too keen on the idea, so I just explained why I did it while he gave me a funny look. That time only one number came up more than once. There's probably some that match the tickets I bought in the store, haven't really checked too closely yet but at this point I would expect that there's some dupes, not really that bad of a thing I guess, as long as its a good number.
But yeah, they do look at you funny when you ask for five individual easy picks...
I think in the future I'll just buy 5 QP's wherever I happen to stop! Just stabbing in the dark!!!
Does any one realize how great of a life thousands of people could of had with the interest this guy wasted by not claiming the prize for four months? When I win a jackpot, and my advisor says throw away four months of interest while we talk, I'll fire the idiot. I would claim the money, wait the month it takes the lottery to give me the money, and spend that month getting all the advise I need - while making money on the interest, that is making money on the previous interest. If it takes four months to make a decision, then I need new advisors! Question: there is an earthquake in China, what should we do? Answer: Get back to me in four months.
Absolutely.
I agree, I was going to say as much here about that a couple days ago but I changed my mind. It's like the winner in Illinois minus the actually doing something with the time in at least putting effort in hiding her/his identity. It's seems like things could be done a lot faster than that, even if you want to protect your identity which this guy didn't seem to even bother doing. I don't see how claiming it sooner would have prevented him from completing his previous obligations. Maybe Louisiana doesn't allow Trust or LLCs to claim winnings? I guess I could look it up if want, hmm...
I disagree with the last several posters. I can't imagine why a self-employed person, and certainly a contractor, would want to claim the prize before being ready to "close up shop" if his intention was to retire afterward. He had contracts to fulfill and the honorable thing to do was to do so in a timely manner. I'd think he'd have a hard time keeping his mind on the work if he already had the money. Plus he'd have more hassles with employees who wanted him to share and with clients who thought since he was already rich that they didn't need to pay. If I were age 73, the amount of interest I'd lose during those extra months without claiming the prize would be of far lower priority than the previously mentioned things. True, if Louisiana allowed one to claim a prize anonymously, that would eliminate some of the problem, but I don't believe Louisiana is one of those states.
In a similar situation my approach would have been just like this individual. Work full time (and probably much more than "full time"). Then be ready to PLAY full time without looking back.
Lets break this down.
He needs time to clean up shop because he cannot concentrate on more then onr event. He is already concerntrating on multiple events. He is closing his business and consulting with advisers. Is he doing this all himself, or does he have foremans and leaders incharge of projects? Probably the latter, so there was no need to wait. What he is also doing is throwing away gobs of money. Money he just as weel set on fire or spent the money on those supposedly starving children. He probably killed a thousand children by allowing them to starve or die from deasese. That is an indisbutable fact. His shortcomings killed many children. He could of taken the money and donated it to saving lifes. Instead he sat in a room and worried about only himself. You either do or you don't. There is no option of "kinda"!
He can't handle employees who want a share. D-U-H, that will be everyone around him for several months! The whiners and connivers will be lined around the block. Learn to deal with it. Without causing straving children to die.
He is incapable of dealing with business and having a good time in the same timeline. Must be a lousy business man. Under that scenario, every single corporate executive in the nation would be unable to take a vacation or have a good time. That is NOT the case. You can multi-task. You just have to be smarter then a gnat.
Lets face reality. When you are 73, your days on this planet are extremely limited. Much lower then the 30 year old who wins the same amount. I go back to my earlier post. Claiming a huge jackpot at 73 only makes some one selfish happy - but not has happy of the tax collector. Death tax is a weak heartbeat away. A smart person would arrange for a child to claim the money and contractually arrange for financial happiness through your remaining years. Your death is going to put a freeze on everything and cause a nighmare to every one involved. All because you are unable to deligate and your ego demands it be in your name. Because of your ego, you gave aay thousand by not claiming it immediately, then you give away millions because you want to die rich. I again ask, how many children could he have saved if he had a brain greater then a gnat? Willingly let children die, or sit on your butt? He chose to sit on his butt. That is the ultimate in selfishness.