Includes video report
Paul White's family gave him grief for years when he said he'd win the lottery one day. On Thursday, he showed them — to the tune of $86 million.
White, a project engineer from suburban Minneapolis, came forward Thursday as one of three winners in the $448 million Powerball jackpot, one of the largest in American history.
White showed up at the Minnesota lottery headquarters to claim a replica check made out for $149 million. Because White picked the instant-cash option, he'll get $86 million before taxes.
"It's crazy," he said. "I've gone through this in my mind so many times. You almost feel like it's coming true."
He added: "I think a lot of good things are going to come out of this, for not only my family and friends but for random people. I don't want to work for anybody else for the rest of my life for a paycheck."
White, 45, said he was lucky that both his parents were still alive and didn't really need the help, but he said he was looking forward to telling them they could pick out the cars and houses of their choice. He also said a sister in San Francisco who works with charity would have plans.
White joked to reporters that his boss "is going to end the day as my chauffeur."
He said he is a father of two teenagers and only plays Powerball once a month or so, or when the jackpot gets really big.
"I'm more of a scratch-off guy," he said. He said he didn't realize he was a winner until his significant other pestered him to look at the numbers. At first he told her he was too busy at work.
Still, he added: "I kind of thought I'd win someday."
The winning ticket in Minnesota was sold in Anoka County, part of greater Minneapolis-St. Paul. The two other winning tickets were sold in New Jersey, where state lottery officials also planned a press conference Thursday.
As suspense built over the winners, more than three dozen people were in for a million-dollar payday of their own, having matched five numbers.
The three big winners beat odds of one in 175 million to nail the winning numbers in a drawing Wednesday night. The lucky combination was 5, 25, 30, 58 and 59, with a Powerball of 32.
The jackpot was $425 million on Wednesday morning, but the rush of ticket-buyers pushed it to $448 million. The top four lottery prizes in U.S. history have all been in the past year and a half, including a record $656 million Mega Millions pot.
The winning Powerball tickets in New Jersey were sold at convenience stores in the towns of South Brunswick and Little Egg Harbor.
It could take a while to find out who else was lucky. Lottery rules in New Jersey allow winners a year to come forward and claim their prizes. Both Minnesota and New Jersey prohibit winners from claiming the jackpot anonymously, though.
Besides the jackpot, 38 people held tickets worth $1 million or more. They did it by matching the five non-Powerball numbers. Four of the 38 selected Power Play, which doubles the payout in exchange for paying $3 instead of $2 for the ticket.
The odds of winning $1 million are considerably better, though still astronomical — a little longer than one in 5 million.
Clusters of million-dollar winners tend to show up when the Powerball jackpot gets attention. Thirty-five people won $1 million or more in May, when a Florida widow was allowed to move ahead in line at a supermarket and took the $590 million jackpot.
In a Nov. 28, 2012, drawing, which was for $587 million, there were 66 winners of the $1 million, including eight Power Play people.
Powerball tweaked its rules last year to generate bigger jackpots. It doubled the price of a ticket to $2. It also cut the numbers available to pick, which made the odds ever so slightly better. Before, the odds of hitting it big were about one in 192 million.
Lottery officials acknowledge big jackpots aren't what they used to be.
"We certainly do see what we call jackpot fatigue," Chuck Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs Powerball, told The Associated Press. "I've been around a long time, and remember when a $10 million jackpot in Illinois brought long lines and people from surrounding states to play that game."
Powerball is played in 43 states and the District of Columbia. The jackpot resets to an estimated $40 million for the next drawing, on Saturday night.
VIDEO: Watch the press conference
Congrats to Paul White!
The scratch-off playing, Powerball winning engineer!
I agree with him in claiming before 24 hours are over after winning. Why wait? As long as he is not planning to do anything rash I think he will be fine.
Congratulation Mr. White & family
Someone from OK hit the second prize with PP. Could that be you?
Nobody from MA hit the second prize.
Congrats to the new millionaires.
Congrats to the White family!
Party time for the Whites!
I cringe every time I read the "expert advice" from LP members who probably never met a financial adviser or formed a trust that give reasons why all jackpot winners should wait weeks to validate the ticket. This isn't directed at you, but even if he is planning on doing something rash, it's his money to spend.
He still can go to a financial adviser after claiming. Don't they take a few weeks to release the money anyways?
The concern is usually that the winning ticket holder may have made a mistake in signing their own name to the back of the winning jackpot ticket and the official claim form. Whereby not rushing and instead meeting with a very experienced/seasoned tax attorney, may have brought up the concept of ticket holder quickly forming a corporation or whatever, waiting 3 weeks for it to age, and then signing that name on the back of the ticket and official claim form.
Anyhow ... congratulations to this quick to claim huge net jackpot winner!
I never knew the part of signing the ticket can take away the chance of claiming it as a corporation. I never sign my tickets anyways but its good that I have learned about this just in case.
No, he's an engineer, and planning is what they do !
Seem like nice people, God Bless 'em.
I'm glad to see that you can show up in a bowling shirt too.
Cuz I'll probably be in my bib overalls and smellin' like whiskey.
Just like always.
Since we're talking about winning $86 million, getting a nice line a credit to get him started should be easy. From what I've read the state lotteries deduct 25% in Federal regardless if the winner forms a trust. It's possible an attorney with lots of experience might know a loophole, but how many people personally know such a lawyer or will they just be handing an unsigned ticket over to a stranger?
There are many ways to decrease the almost 40% in Federal taxes without forming a trust. I always thought the point of claiming anonymously was avoid dealing with strangers, but unless the jackpot winner already has a good financial planner and a good lawyer, they are allowing strangers to tell them how to validate the ticket and invest the winnings. And not all that different than the "expert advice" we read on LP.
I know what J.D. smells like, but that crystal clear stuff, I tried It once, can't remember if that has an odor ?
Now that was funny ridge. Thanks for the laugh!
Why does he need a line of credit? He has a job.
Maybe if the winner has to move a few things around because he knows he will have to claim publicly? Like move his kids from public to private schools, maybe move to a different part of the state, or if he has to take an unpaid leave from work to plan out the windfall before claiming it he will still need to pay bills.
And this is the part I don't understand, even though I realize TAXES must be paid......The Winner started off with $149,000000 millls, and the TAXES drag him down to almost $30,00000 mills...They eat him up before he sees 1 penny of the Winnings........It;s such a crazy ripoff......
I wish maringoman I only got 2# on 2 different lines
but I always power play cause $2 million sounds good to me
I have no idear what yer talkin' about.
I never heard of no crystal clear stuff and never drank it if there is such a thing, which there ain't.
And if there is, they sure don't make any of it back up in the woods around here.
That's fer sure.
You're welcome buckeye, but it's just the truth, lol.
"I always power play cause $2 million sounds good to me
"
That's what I'm talkin' about!
Powerball is tough and with $3 a line cost, it is a little expensive too. But quiting is not an option right now so "a luta continua" dallascowboyfan
I agree. I don't see anything wrong with cashing the ticket and spending the money if that what a person wants to do. And I don't see the need for an attorney when a good financial planner would do.
Good Luck
Congrats to you Paul White & your Family Spend wisely
they say the early bird gets the worm
I wish this gentleman well I agree with what has been expressed here before that one should plan before claiming the prize. Many other winners who have claimed publicly like this end up being hounded by people looking for money, something I wouldn't want to deal with. I read a story once about an American lottery jackpot winner who got a call from Indonesia asking for money.
Also, I'd want professional advice on how to make it last the rest of my life, along with how to minimize tax burden, asset protectin, and to decide what I'd do with my free time. There are just so many things to think about if this were to happen to me.
What I would do is claim with a trust or corporation, mainly for privacy purposes. If it were determined I could have sufficient income to quit my job, I'd probably wait until a few months after the win to do so, as to not arouse suspicion. I just want to go live my life in peace, I don't need attention.
I hope he ain't related to the White's in West Virginia.
Cuz he's gonna have 'em all up there lookin' for him if he is.
I know one of the ol' boys moved up there with his family a while back.
So he could be related to Jesco White, the Dancin' Outlaw.
Lord help him if he is, lol.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUIapa-U0bY
Being a Minnesotan who just happens to be living in the land of cheese and beer I say good for him.
But I still think he should have waited until he got his affairs in order and secured the safety of his loved ones and friends.
Congratulations to all the winners- this person won fair & square, had he camped on the lottery doorsteps overnight - that would be his choice. Hope they have many happy moments and live full & productive lives.
LOL @ 1:50
line of credit on $86 mill? you can start spending as soon as you have credit, otherwise you must wait how ever long for the check to clear.
Since MN and NJ do not allow lottery winners to anonymously claim their winnings, I wonder if this issue was part of his logic to swiftly come forward to claim his share of the jackpot.
Personally, I’ve always felt that privacy, safety and health should be paramount on lottery winner’s lists. First, it’s prudent to hire legal counsel to get liability protections, asset protection measures and estate matters in place. It’s a crazy world and nothing would take precedence over protecting self, family, and the windfall, especially since health matters can suddenly occur without warning and how frivolous lawsuits are so common these days.
I’d also consult with a tax attorney/accountant to explore provisions to efficiently capitalize on reducing tax liabilities and discuss my desire to eventually partake in faceless charity. Consulting with financial planners would also be part of the process. I’d want to begin dialogue to develop strategies for annual income generation, steady wealth accumulation and preservation.
Remember: financial success is a process just like learning and growing are processes. Playing great offense (income generation) and even greater defense (being frugal), and anchor it with persistent planning and meticulous budgeting is smart.
As for establishing a line of credit, there’s no way I’d be credit dependent – job or no job. This sort of windfall creates an unprecedented cash position for the winner, so it’s crazy to establish/use a line of credit, pay interest, and be a slave to bankers. At the presser, this guy said lottery officials said it would be about 2 weeks before he receives the payout, which is via bank wire. These two weeks will fly by. I’d utilize the time to transition my responsibilities at work, begin to deliberate my future, and develop financial plans.
"I don't want to work for anybody else for the rest of my life for a paycheck."
Didn't you read the article?
White mentioned that in his interview. After he is done paying state and federal taxes, the $149 million will be closer to $80 million.
Besides the jackpot, 38 people held tickets worth $1 million or more. They did it by matching the five non-Powerball numbers. Four of the 38 selected Power Play, which doubles the payout in exchange for paying $3 instead of $2 for the ticket.
Notice how they did not say that 9 of the 38 -5+0 winning tickets from California only recieved $289,300.00 each.
He also said in his interview that his desk was full and he would be finishing up his work and not leave the company in the lurch.
Actually the $149 million was just his total share of the overall jackpot. He took the cash option which took his third to $86 million. Then he pays taxes on that amount which will put him close to $46 million.
Sixteen workers from a county garage in a New Jersey coastal community hit hard by Superstorm Sandy have one of the three winning tickets in the $448 million Powerball jackpot, officials in Ocean County said.
Now that's what I'm talking about. 
Thats probably why he claimed quickly. He can finish the work while waiting for the money and retire.
That's pretty awesome!!!
WOW!!!! Congratulation to the winners
The post I replied to said $149 million and my figures were based on that. It's amazing how much an advertised jackpot of $448 million can be diluted. That means the 16 people in the NJ pool will get less than $4 million each which is still a nice hit.
In the interview Paul White mentioned a car he saw on Craig's List and said he was going to buy it the next day and why I mentioned a line of credit. It will probably be a 30 day loan and be deducted when the winnings are in his account.
"He also said in his interview that his desk was full and he would be finishing up his work and not leave the company in the lurch."
He has $46 million reasons not to go to work and he may show up just to get his personal things from his desk, but his mind won't be on the work that's laying on his desk. If your garbageman won a jackpot like that do you think they would be concerned if your garbage might not be picked up on time?
"In the interview Paul White mentioned a car he saw on Craig's List and said he was going to buy it the next day and why I mentioned a line of credit."
He probably had some saving that he was holding on to but now that he has a few millions in the pipe line, he doesn't have worry about spending it.
Interesting trivia: some people actually have money in the bank, even if they haven't gotten a fat check from the lottery.
Did he purchase a Quick Pick?
So we have this guy and the 16 from NJ, do we know who the 3rd winner (s) is?
The 3rd winner has not come forward, that ticket was also sold In Jersey, South Brunswick
Great, thanks. Didn't know if I missed seeing something on it.
Stay tuned to LP, you won't miss anything.
NOT YET. They can now take their sweet time if they choose to.
This Paul White looks and sounds like Chris Christy the governor of New Jersey. At least he will avoid the higher taxes
.
He is extremely lucky to beat the odds and become one of the three winners of a huge jackpot prize. I agree that there's nothing wrong claiming the prize immediately. If I will be the winner I might as well be at the next door of the office to claim my prize. I think what is more important is how we spend the money.