Guess what? The Powerball jackpot has dropped and one lucky player is about to scoop up $214m – we hope. Monday night’s drawing has produced a winner, who may now be looking at hefty annuity payments or opt for the all-cash option, which will pare down the winnings to only $106.4m.
No person has yet stepped forward to claim the reward, but the lottery is already keen to find out the player and help them get the prize. This is also the 20th time that a Pennsylvanian ticket has won the Powerball jackpot, although it’s not clear where the player hails from just yet.
This is also a much bigger jackpot than the $139.3m won by a player in Ohio just a month ago, almost to the date. The person, whoever they are, won with 9, 2, 57, 67, and 68, as their lucky numbers, along with the 14 Powerball.
So, what’s going to happen from this moment on? Well, the search is on and there is always a "what if" moment where the lottery and onlookers wonder if the person is one of those people who plays the lottery out of habit, but never really checks their ticket.
Hopefully not, as nearly all seven-figure jackpots have been claimed in the lottery’s history. If a winner does materialize as we expect they will, you will find out a few details about them.
State law mandates that a winner of the lottery cannot remain completely anonymous. The name of the winner, the amount won, and the place where the ticket has been sold are all considered to be an important part of the lottery’s transparency and ensuring overall fairness.
Most winners, when given the option, though, would much rather not disclose this information. For now, though, people who bought lottery tickets in Pennsylvania should make sure they check them out.
Meanwhile, stories from all over the world have been trickling in. Two friends in Australia, for example, were not so lucky as to scoop a $200m jackpot, but 20 years of playing regularly fetched them $1.25m.
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