Verified: Tennessee man won third of $1.6 billion Powerball

The family flew to NY to reveal their good fortune on the TODAY Show Friday morning after their lawyer suggested they go public before getting the ticket verified.

The Robinsons then took the Today anchors back to the night of the drawing, when John picked up four tickets on his way home from work feeling under the weather.

California, Tennessee and Florida sold one jackpot winning ticket each, lottery officials said.

John Robinson said he wanted to keep the news private, but his attorney, Joe Townsend, advised them to go to the Today Show to make the announcement.

The couple came forward on yesterday with a winning ticket for this week’s record US$1.6 billion Powerball lottery jackpot.

The two other winning tickets were sold in Chino Hills, California, and Melbourne Beach, Florida, but the winners there have not been named.

They planned to do that immediately after their appearance in the Today show’s NY studio.

Robinson recalled buying the lucky ticket on Wednesday just hours before the Powerball drawing. “We don’t need that”, he said.

After triple-checking the ticket, she started “hollering and screaming through the hallway saying, ‘You need to check these numbers”.

Lisa, who works in a dermatologist’s office, said there had been no time to plan how to spend the money but does not intend to quit her job. In towns and cities across the country, millions of would-be billionaires, many of them who had never before played a lottery, stood in long lines to buy tickets. “We didn’t get enough sleep”.

Despite all of the hoopla, though, the Robinsons won’t see most of their winnings for another 10 or so business days, lottery officials said.

Lisa and John Robinson’s ticket is due to be verified by lottery officials in order to claim one-third of the biggest lottery prize ever in the United States.

John Robinson, center, of Munford, Tenn., arrives with his dog at the Tennessee Lottery headquarters, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Nashville, Tenn.

The previous United States jackpot record of $656 million, on March 30, 2012, was scooped up by three winners from North Carolina, Puerto Rico and Texas.

“We are from a small town”, said John Robinson.

“Many just follow the trend and don’t know the potential risk”, said Su.

When asked what they would do with the money, one of the first things that John and Lisa said was they would pay off their daughter Tiffany’s student loans.

Lisa said the entire experience has been exciting but also overwhelming. The pair will earn $528 million after splitting the massive prize with the two other winners, from Florida and California.

Spokesman Josh Nass says he was told the nurse’s son sent her a cellphone picture of a ticket.

Neighbour Mary Sue Smith told The Associated Press that she talked with Lisa Robinson on Friday morning and said she asked her to put up “No Trespassing” signs in the Robinsons lawn while they’re away. Nobody emerged to claim their winnings, but excitement was palpable outside the Publix where the ticket was sold.