First Powerball Lottery Jackpot Winners Confirmed

A Munford, Tennessee, couple said Friday they hold one of three winning tickets of the massive $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.

She nearly threw away her winning US$1 million ($1.55 million) lottery ticket from Wednesday night’s US$1 billion-plus ($2.43 billion) Powerball drawing.

The first of the official Powerball winners chose to come out to the world on the Today show Friday, so now everyone who did not win knows exactly what they (and their dog, who joined them and is technically also richer than you) look like.

Each ticket is worth $528.8 million, lottery officials said in California, one of 44 states plus Washington DC and two American territories that sold millions of Powerball tickets. Although the couple wants to return to their private lives afterward, “they want to… let the public know that they’re the winners”.

His wife asked him to buy tickets on his way home from work, so, even though he didn’t feel well, he bought them at Naifeh’s Food Mart in Munford. “You just can’t sit down and lay down and not do nothing anymore”, said John Robinson.

The couple said they had not had time to think about how they would spend the money, though they plan to pay off their daughter’s student loans. Unlike many of us, Walker won big.

Wednesday’s drawing yielded winning tickets in three locations – Chino Hills, California; Munford, Tennessee; and Melbourne Beach, Florida, USA Today reported.

California lottery officials said the state’s victor has not come forward yet. But what about the people who sold the winning tickets?

Those followers can be valuable, whether the scammer wants to promote something, try for personal information or install malware on devices, said National Cyber Security Alliance executive director Michael Kaiser. The first victor showed up early Thursday to claim her $1 million prize – Linda Windey, who works in Walton, Ky. They also say they will go to work on Monday.

“I’m a firm believer in tithing to my church, ” Robinson said.

The Wawa store gets US$2500 ($38,000) for selling the winning ticket.

She said they knew they had the right numbers, but it isn’t real until lottery officials verify them. “They are responsible. They’ve always lived within their means”, said Cole, who owns an auto parts store in town”, Cole said.