$232M Powerball Winner Sold In … Winner

(CBS/AP)  The town of Winner has produced a winner - and a $232 million one at that.

The winning ticket for Wednesday night's $232 million Powerball jackpot was sold in this ranching and farming town of 2,800 people in the south-central part of the state.

"How often does something like this happen - a winner in Winner, S.D.?" Norm Lingle, executive director of the South Dakota Lottery, said at a news conference Thursday.

It's the ninth-largest Powerball jackpot ever and the biggest ever paid out in South Dakota, he said.

The lottery said it has not received any calls claiming the jackpot.

"Everyone's curious, wondering who it is and hoping it's someone that needs it," Pat Nielsen, a Winner resident, told CBS News.

The ticket-holder has 180 days to claim the prize.

"There's certainly no hurry to come in and claim the prize. This is certainly a life-changing, life-altering experience and they need to seek professional advice," Lingle said.

Only two retailers sell Powerball tickets in town: the Ampride and Lil' Feller convenience stores, said Mike Mueller, South Dakota Lottery spokesman. The seller of the jackpot ticket won't be announced until the winner comes forward, he said. The business that sold the ticket gets $50,000.

Lil' Feller Convenience Store owner Brian Schaeffer and Ampride manager Shawn Ulmer said the winner had not contacted them.

Schaeffer hopes someone from town won the bonanza prize.

"It sure would be nice if someobody here locally or the surrounding area won," he said.

As for the possibility of getting a cut, Schaeffer said: "We don't know that it's us. It could be the guys down the street. It's just nice that it was sold here in town."

Residents were wondering who had won.

Dick O'Bryan, a farmer and real estate agent who lives nearby, said "everybody was trying to figure out who it is" when he went to get coffee Thursday morning.

"It's great to have it come into the town. It (might) just as well be here as somewhere else," he said outside the Tripp County Courthouse. "The only bad part about it is my name isn't on it."

Out of the millions of tickets sold for Wednesday night's drawing, only one matched all six winning numbers: five, six, twelve, 16 and 21. The Powerball was seven.

Powerball is played in 30 states, Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Winner, about 200 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, near the Nebraska line, is known for its great pheasant hunting that draws thousands from around the world every fall.

[legacyabq]

I hope i win, im pretty generous, and would enjoy sharing things with people, even strangers.

I would take the pay slowly option and deposit 80 percent into an index fund or something, grow it bigger, and use the money for charity maybe.. That would be cool.

And, and Id buy a 69 fastback mach 1 mustang LOL

[easy3211]

My Goodness,
It sounds to me like there are a lot of sore losers out there.
You should be happy for the lucky person or people that won.
Look at the odds of winning and think about it.
High taxes, we got that after the Revolutionary War, to pay for it.
I wish the winner/winners well.
:-)

[swingset4u]

Well I have to think that if you cannot survive on $644,444.45 per month for the next thirty years a lump sum would be the way to go. You just have to wonder when the taxation would stop on this amount. Live hard!

[swingset4u]

WOW! Reading some of these post makes me think this person who won this money just Pi$$ed of a bunch of people. I SAY WAY TO GO! Congrats!!

[dwilson59]

223 million is 69,130,000 after all taxes and fees.

Posted by dwilson59

And after you take the deduction for getting the money paid out in a lump sum rather than over 30 years. Taxes aren't 71% even in Sweden.
Posted by scyouth at 1:40 PM : May 28, 2009

OK scyouth you need to do your math 223 x .51= 113,8883,000 if you take the lump payment.

You then have fed tax at 38% you also have state tax at 2.5 for a total of 40.5% tax.

total paid 67,760,385.00

You got to love taxes

[onesword]

One day it will happen for me. It's hard to save that much.

[valh1]

I'm pretty sure that it is my 6th cousin who won, or maybe my long lost auntie.

[scyouth]

223 million is 69,130,000 after all taxes and fees.

Posted by dwilson59

And after you take the deduction for getting the money paid out in a lump sum rather than over 30 years. Taxes aren't 71% even in Sweden.

[louiville2]

All powerball winners should be waterboarded.
It builds character.
Posted by TheMasses05 at 12:53 PM : May 28, 2009

No he will get worse I heard Obama is on the way to tax him because he is now a rich fat cat and bad for America.
Posted by dwilson59 at 1:11 PM

Yep I'll bet he/she is about to be very patriotic. Maybe they are native American living on a reservaion near there, wonder how that would play out in taxes?

[dwilson59]

223 million is 69,130,000 after all taxes and fees. FYI 78%of all lottery winners file for BK with in 3 years.