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U.S. NEWS Monday 29 october 2018

Iowa, New York home to winning $688M Powerball tickets

main anonymous in Iowa or Saturday’s Poweball jack- cally when prizes get enor-
New York, and lottery offi- pot was originally esti- mous is because people
cials encourage winners — mated at $750 million but who don’t normally play
who have a year to come worked out to $687.8 million decide to buy a few tick-
forward — to first consult a by the time of the drawing. ets. That’s great for lottery
financial adviser. That’s the annuity total, sales but makes it more dif-
The drawing came four which would be paid out ficult for officials to estimate
days after someone won a over 29 years. The cash val- how many irregular players
$1.54 billion Mega Millions ue, or lump sum, is $396.2 will participate, adding fur-
jackpot, which marked the million before taxes. ther complications to the
nation’s second-largest lot- The exact jackpot is de- jackpot estimate.
tery prize ever. That ticket termined by sales figures Powerball is played in 44
was sold in South Carolina, where tickets are sold. Of- states, Washington, D.C.,
where lottery winners can ficials note that the reason the U.S Virgin Islands and
remain anonymous. jackpots grow so dramati- Puerto Rico.q

In this Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018 file photo, lottery forms for Loui-
siana Mega Millions, Powerball and other lottery games fill the
drawer at The World Bar and Grill, in Delta, La., a few miles from
the Mississippi-Louisiana state line.
Associated Press.
By JULIE WALKER, Associ- would in no way refuse it.”
ated Press The other winning ticket
NEW YORK (AP) — The co- was sold at Casey’s con-
owner of a Manhattan venience store in Redfield,
deli where someone pur- Iowa, a rural community of
chased one of two Power- about 800 people roughly
ball tickets that hit the $688 35 miles (56 kilometers) west
million jackpot said he likely of Des Moines. A clerk who
sold the winning ticket, but answered the phone at
he has no idea who won. the store Sunday declined
Jose Espinosa and his fa- comment and referred
ther own the West Harlem questions to lottery officials.
Deli, which lottery offi- There was no immediate
cials say sold a ticket that word on who purchased
matched all six numbers in that ticket, either.
Saturday night’s drawing But both ticket holders
for the fourth-largest lot- beat miserable odds: The
tery prize in U.S. history. The chance of winning the
ticket holder will split the Powerball jackpot is 1 in
winnings with whoever pur- 292.2 million.
chased the other winning Lottery officials said the
ticket from a convenience ticket sold in Iowa marks
store in a small Iowa town. the largest lottery prize ever
While helping a steady won in the state.
stream of customers Sun- “Even we are awestruck,”
day, the 41-year-old Espi- Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich
nosa joked that he knows said Sunday. “This goes
he sold the lucky ticket be- to show what we’ve said
cause always working: “I’m many times: You never
always here. I live here.” know when the next big
But he doesn’t know who winner will hit.”
bought it. Rich said anyone who
“It wasn’t me,” said cus- played Powerball in the
tomer Jose Humphreys, past few days should dou-
a 45-year-old pastor at a ble-check their tickets. The
nearby church. “But hey, winning numbers were 8,
if somebody hit the lot- 12, 13, 19 and 27, and Pow-
tery and they wanted to erball 4.
donate to our church, we Jackpot winners can’t re-