A married couple, who have chosen to remain anonymous, has won a whopping $473 million at Powerball. The couple resided in Gilbert, Arizona and had the winning ticket drawn on April 27th.
The winning ticket held by the couple had been purchased at a Quiktrip gas station. This is the Quiktrip gas station located near Warner Roads and Gilbert. The couple purchased the winning ticket on April 26th.
This winning makes history as the largest jackpot won on a single ticket in Arizona. All six numbers were matched. The Powerball winning numbers came in at 11, 36, 61, 62, and 68 with the Powerball number being 4. The Quiktrip where the ticket was purchased will receive a $50000 bonus. The bonus will be awarded to them by the Arizona Lottery.
What Is The Powerball?
Powerball is an American lottery game. 45 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico offer it. Powerball draws take place three times a week, offering you the chance to win jackpots.
It is organized and coordinated by the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL). This is a nonprofit organization formed by an agreement with US corporations and lobbyists.
Privacy and Security
According to the Arizona Lottery, the Gilbert couple has chosen to remain anonymous. Instead, the couple chose to take a $283.3 million lump sum cash payment. This is again the largest winning from a single ticket. Apart from the jackpot, 1,4 million tickets won cash prizes. This includes a $1 million winner from Indiana. The Indiana winner matched all five white balls to win the $1 million. The alternative is that the money could be paid out over 29 years if taken as an annuity.
The state of Arizona has a law in place that allows winners to remain anonymous. Winners of $100000 or more automatically remain anonymous for 90 days. After that, winners can choose for their names not to be published.
Reactions from Arizonian residents
The big jackpot winning got the residents talking. Taxes need to be deducted from the winnings. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in $292.2 million, which is quite crazy. This is considered to be the highest winning in gambling terms. For example, in Arizona sports betting none of the bettors have come close to that amount.
Resident Sharon Bowser said, “That’s a lot of money. I wish I could win something like that. On the other hand, resident Doug Allen said, “It’s good. It helps a lot of people. And it makes them want to play more”.
This $473.1 million payout has inspired more Arizona residents to take part in playing the Arizona Lottery in hopes of winning big themselves. Bowser, who is another resident, went on to win $500 after betting the lottery with $50. She said, “It felt good, so I got my money, thank you.”
The more residents purchase tickets, the bigger the jackpot grows, and the more benefits the community can enjoy.
What happens when you win the Arizona Lottery?
Be sure to sign the back of your ticket, and check your ticket at a retailer. If your ticket is indeed a winning ticket the retailer will print out a bank claim form for you. Also, check that the retailer returns your original ticket.
Arizona allows winning tickets of $600 or more to be mailed to the Phoenix and Tucson lottery offices. The winners can also go to these lottery offices to redeem the tickets themselves. The Phoenix or Tucson lottery offices can only redeem claims of $10000 during the week. Winners should always make sure to bring their ID and ticket with them to the office. Those who choose to mail their tickets must first fill in a claim form.
The Powerball and Mega Millions of jackpot winners have 60 days from the date the ticket is presented to get their ticket validated. They must also decide whether they want their winnings paid out in cash or as an annuity. The Powerball annuity option pays an initial payment followed by 29 graduated payments. After that, these payments rise at 4% to keep up with the inflation rate.
Lottery Laws
By law, the lottery must withhold 24% for federal taxes and 4.8% which goes to state income taxes. Winners of less than $100000 will have their names, city of residence and prize value announced within 90 days. For these winners, there is no option of remaining anonymous. Tickets expire after 180 days from the date of the drawing. Unfortunately, after 180 days, winnings can’t be redeemed. Gregg Edgar, executive director of the Arizona Lottery, says that lottery ticket sales advance programs and services for the community. Edgar also believes that winning the lottery is a life-changing moment.
Following this big $473 million payout, the jackpot will go back to $20 million with a cash option of $12 million. In 2016 Powerball became the world’s largest jackpot with a value of $1,586 billion. Winners in California, Tennessee and Florida shared the winnings. Unfortunately, the next 19 draws did not yield any winners; this caused the jackpot to increase to large sums.
With federal taxes at 24%, the $283.3 cash option could be reduced by $68 million. A further $8.4 million will go to the state of Arizona. Tickets can be bought at convenience stores, gas stations and supermarkets.
Winners of the Powerball usually receive their payment within 14 business days. This ensures that the lottery has enough time to collect and consolidate all monies made from ticket sales. Winners should be sure to report all their winnings to the IRS.
Lottery Support
For those who are suffering from gambling addiction assistance and need help. Support groups and helplines are available to contact. Peer Support Group can be found at azccg.org. In addition, there is a group called Gamblers Anonymous. This can be found at problemgambling.az.gov.
Powerball gives chances to win every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Unfortunately, this can be a setback for those with addiction. Players may want to place bets on all days and have an uncontrollable urge to buy lottery tickets.
Specific types and frequencies of a player’s gambling behavior may vary. However, in general, they will have to control that behavior. This is by acknowledging that they have a problem at hand.
Author
Kim Stevens
Freelance journalist with a huge interest in “The Big Three.” Applying my sports enthusiasm to keep fans in Arizona up to date.
