PIERRE, S.D. — If this were a movie, nobody would believe it: A rancher struggling to eke out a living in one of the poorest corners of America claimed one of the biggest undivided jackpots in U.S. lottery history Friday — $232 million — after buying the ticket in a town by the name of Winner.
Neal Wanless, 23, said he intends to buy himself more room to roam and repay the kindness other townspeople have shown his family.
"I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this great fortune. I will not squander it," he promised, wearing a big black cowboy hat and a huge grin.
Wanless, who is single, lives with his mother and father on the family's 320-acre ranch near Mission, where they raise cattle, sheep and horses. They don't own a phone, a mobile home of theirs was repossessed last year, and records show they have fallen $3,552 behind in their property taxes.
Wanless bought $15 worth of tickets to the May 27 30-state Powerball drawing at a convenience store in Winner during a trip to buy livestock feed. He will take home a lump sum of $88.5 million after taxes are deducted.
The Wanless home stands in a grove of trees in Todd County, home to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. It was the nation's seventh-poorest county in 2007, according to the Census Bureau.
Dave Assman, who owns farmland next to the Wanless ranch, said he is happy the family won't have to worry about money any more. "They've been real short on finances for a long time," Assman said. "They are from real meager means, I guess you'd say."
"I hope they enjoy their money," said county assessor Cathy Vrbka, a family friend. "They work hard, backbreaking hard work."
Wanless' father, Arlen Wanless, 54, has made a living in recent years mainly by buying and selling scrap metal, but his fortunes dropped with the price of iron, said Dan Clark, an auctioneer from Winner and a friend of more than two decades.
The younger Wanless told lottery officials that he spent the last week working on the ranch and that he intends to continue that lifestyle, albeit on a larger piece of land. According to lottery officials, he recently told his horse, Eleanor, "It'd be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."
"My family has been helped by the community, and I intend to repay that help many times over," Wanless said. He gave no details.
An Oregon family turned $40 worth of tickets into $340 million Powerball prize in 2005, and at least four other winners collected larger jackpots than Wanless' prize.
The store where Wanless bought the winning ticket will get a $50,000 bonus. Sharon Ulmer, manager of the store, said she is glad the Wanless family won.
"From what I understand they don't have a lot, so the money definitely went to a good place," Ulmer said. "I know it went to a good home. They can use it."
Neal Wanless, 23, reads a statement as he claims his $232 million Powerball lottery prize. He will take home $88.5 million in a lump sum payment after taxes are deducted.
An aerial view taken Thursday, June 4, 2009, shows the buildings at Neal Wanless's family ranch near Mission, S.D. Wanless, a 23-year-old rancher whose family has fallen behind in their taxes and recently had a mobile home repossessed, claimed a $232.1 million Powerball jackpot Friday, June 5, 2009.
Neal Wanless, 23, accepts a ceremonial check for winning a $232 million Powerball lottery jackpot, Friday, June 5, 2009, in Pierre, S.D. Neal Wanless, who lives on his family's 320-acre ranch near Mission, S.D., bought the winning ticket in the nearby town of Winner late last month during a trip to buy livestock feed.
I was so happy to read about this deserving winner. A big, huge CONGRATS to you!
It's like deja vu all over again, with that black hat!
Next I'm getting ME a black cowboy hat!!!
What's his neighbor's name again???
A Big CONGRATULATIONS to him, I feel good when someone thats in real need wins. This family have been really blessed and I wish them the best.
Huge congratulatons to him and all the people he will help as a result of it!!!
It is really nice to read of someone that really needs the money that wins. It is touching that he said he intends to repay the community for the help that the family received, especially since that area is so poor.
Very neat story.
Congrats to Mr. Wanless on his big win! It sure looks like this money with definitely help him and his family out.
Sure is nice to see someone who works they're butts off and win something like this.Also nice to see him going to help others who have helped him and his family out.Congrats to him and his family. God Bless
This guy really deserved it. Congratulations to him.
to young to me to be a rancher...
i wish the community of religious people in north & south Dakota and similar places, i think they are amish or something, wish they had won the big jackpot...The problem with Powerball is that it goes to the well off states of America, it doesn't go to the poorest states and is only 1 game....Americans are everyone not just the ones in the better states...
I read up this story on yahoo news. He really is one young lucky son of a B&*^$! lol Any how yea he deserved it. Ouch, those taxes took a huge chunk of his stash tho. I guess with all the bad comes out all the good.
but if it going to ranchers it should go to ranchers who plant ground foods and vegetables & fruits not that crap about farmers that grow cows and all that stuff....That way those farmers who plant ground food can use that money to expand on their bussiness and create marvelous things, huge bussiness, create BIG MARKETS OF GROUND FOOD....create huge supermarkets like Walmart & Publix but that sell ground food only and vegetables and fruits, like plantings, mango, lettuce everything....And to expand abroad too...
What a great story. God blesses people like this who seek him. Sounds like they indeed needed a blessing. Congrats to him and his family.
"I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this great fortune. I will not squander it"
I believe him. Many people like this who have worked hard and have seen hardships remain simple out of fear that the hardships will come again. Congrats to him and his family. I wish them all the best.
Yeah... Not good deja vu.... Here's the last guy who claimed a huge jackpot wearing a black cowboy hat...
I am going to third that commotion!!! WTG.............Beaudad.........................
I think this guy will give black hats a good name.
Same here Todd.
I am sooo happy for the family to recieve the much needed money....My day is coming soon! I can feel it!!!!!
FINALLY!!!! Somone who really needs it! Good Luck and may God continue to bless him.
He does not need a God's blessing. He has millions of dollars.
Obviously he believes differently.
"I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this great fortune. I will not squander it," he promised, wearing a big black cowboy hat and a huge grin.
he was struggling to make a living but he had $15 dollars to buy lottery tickets? lol
God works in mysterious ways. Congrats to Neal!
The brother is not gonna be single for long. He sounds like a God fearing man and thats a good thing because you need everything on your side to not blow away this money or to tear up the family like a paid bill with personal info.
What a great guy, I'am happy for him.
Congrats
Congrats....I am really happy that a GOD fearing man was blessed. I know I will be too when my turn comes and thats why I keep playing.
Me too !
That is one cute fella !
Congras to the young man! May all you dreams come true.
It's nice to see a young person having a new start. Hopfully, he can retain the amount given to him without going broke.
It's BAD enough the current tax system severely reduces his the total winnings.
But hey.... It's 88mils he didn't have before
Congrats to you Mr. Neal.
Jealous????
Just don't talk with a full mouth of food.
WOW good for him.
Happy for the family,,,(Wanless, won more in Winner, South Dakota), but could they have painted a bigger bullseye target on them,,,Name, pictures, location, arial photo....(they were just missing an address number.)
I wish them alot of luck. Beware of the rustlers that are coming!
Wanless from Winner no longer Winless..
The reason for the comparison (Wanless VS. Whittaker) is only to be cautionary: JW started out thanking The Lord, offering to help people and the community.. and at that point sounded like Mr. Wanless. It's like meeting someone the first time. Money can affect people either positive or negative. What we're hoping for is this person's future turns out positive because of it. When the Wests won in Oregon they sounded like a wild bunch that would be the next JW story, but I haven't heard a peep from them since.
As far as his take-home, lump-sum takes out more from the "jackpot" than taxes...he chose lump-sum which is about 1/2 of the advertised jackpot. Taxes then take about 1/3 of that amount. So the rule of thumb calculation is the take home lump sum is about 1/3 of the adv. jackpot. Current PB jackpot $45M, take home=$15M.
In a video of the winning ticket, it was the 4th line down. It says "PowerPlay NO" but I don't see if it was QP or not. Can anyone find out?
He also won $100 on another ticket. That would be amazing with only 15 lines, so I wonder if he has an algorithm? As I look at the winning ticket it's blurry but looks like similar numbers on each line!!!! Either the QP is "lousy" (giving similar #s) or he picked these!!! Doubly amazing with a recent matrix change!!!
I am happy for him, and I am happy for the tax man to receive 144 million dollars in taxes.
I love these kind of stories. He wont be single for long!!!!
I read in another story about the winner on a different site that the numbers he picked represented birthdays of family members....so maybe he just wheeled those numbers? I didnt do the math to figure out all the possible combinations but it'spossible. Also if he had QP on other lines I've heard and witnessed my own disatisfaction with how the QPs seem to be very similar when they are all printed on one ticket. I've literally had quick picks where the numbers were so thightly grouped together I felt like throwing the ticket way. I've also been printed QPs for numbers that won the day before...lol again I knew I had lost my dollar the instant I realized what had happened.
The taxman did not receive 144 milion in taxes from this Powerball win....232million is the estimated advertised annuity jackpot...and even then sometimes they're wrong with that because the jackpot was advertised as 220 million. Thats what they thought the jackpot was going to be worth if someone won, but they underestimated (which is fine...I'd prefer an under-promise and over-delivery over the opposite) and the final numbers came in at 232 million.
So anytime you see "Estimated avdertised annuity jackpot", read it as "the amount we expect to be able to pay the holder of the winning ticket over a course of 20+ years of investing on their behalf if they allow us not to pay them the cash lump sum...btw winner, you still need to pay the taxes".
Is it deceptive? Yes...but it helps sell tickets to get those larger jackpots that every player hopes to luck into one day and that's what fine print is for.
Congrats to a deserving young man !!!!!
I have been ill for more than 23 years -
and I lost my last full time job in 2001 -
and now I am disabled living in a house that makes me even more ill -
I could use a win also !!!!!
Obama's entitled class will want their cut !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
he recently told his horse, Eleanor, "It'd be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own."
Yep, Dale use to get second billing after Trigger.
At age 23 he should have chosen the annuity. imo
$232 million would make even the most god fearing person heart to stray.
I hope he gets lots of advisors to help him.
If they still feel like being in the ranching business a great idea would to be to start up a non profit corp. He could hire the unemployed to work on his ranch and donate the food produced to the homeless. If he invests his $88 million, taxes will be a huge problem. Donating his product would help greatly. Even hosting a summer camp for disadvantaged youth would be a great idea.
Congratulations to the young winner. Personally, I think that he should have avoided the news conference. He should definitely hire a good tax lawyer and financial team and consider leaving town for awhile.
I saw the clip on this family, WTG, they truly deserve the winnings
I hope him and family and friends NJOY!
I was watching the CBS morning show which couldn't get an interview with Neal Wanless so they interviewed the mayor of his town to hear his plans for the money if Neal followed through with plans to help his community.
This is a young man who's family recently had their trailer repossessed and owed $4K in back taxes and people in the community are already thinking of ways to spend some of his money. You would think they would figure he would want to take care of his family and personal problems first.
Yeah, of course I'll be called jealous for saying it, but I have a feeling we're going to have another not so good story in a few years. Maybe not on Jack Whitaker proportions but still a "lottery loser" story. Then again, I think the same way about the 19 year old who one a PB jackpot last year also, so far I still maintain that from what he's been doing since.
Yet another young person wins the jackpot. This story made me feel good because he and his family really needed help. CONGRATS!
I seen this black cowboy hat at this thrift store couldn't resist it thinking about the lucky possibilties so I have my lucky charm now time to watch the magic unfold
Ok, but then do you have to be wearing it WHEN you play your numbers or just own the hat to win?
I wish I won $232 million. I guess only cowboys win big money.
concrats to you im so happy for you me and husband play the powerball every wednesday and saturday we dont miss a day to buy a ticket for every drawing we are hoping are dream comes true on of these days we cant wait intell the day we get lottery in arkansas we send are hard earned money in oklahoma instead of are own state arkansas im so thrilled the law got past and had enough votes for the lottery thanks alot gamming commision for comming soon to arkansas this state needs the money
really bad for schools and roads
Congratulations to this young cowboy and his family. I pray he gets wise financial couseling and tax experts. he will need God in all his pursuits because that publicy promotion for the lottery, his racnch location will draw all kinds of predators out of the woodworks with one goal in mind, to get some of his money.
I don't think this is another Whitaker.,however, if that could happen to Whitaker,who was a successful businessman and knew about managing business. it goes to show you it takes more than that.
It takes being able to remain level headed, wise, and educating oneself, surrounding yourself with financial experts and taking most of their advice. You definitely need God in all these endeavors and as well as everything in your life.
God bless him and his family.
Question: anyone out there. where do you read about followup stories on these lottery winners, that is, if they're still in the news?????? Just curious.
Basically, the usual follow-up is only when the winners go bad. I guess it's boring if it's good news.
Now he will marry a Miss Dakota