Big Lottery Winner Still A Mystery
The winner of a record $365 million Powerball jackpot remains a mystery.
No one has come forward to claim the huge prize, according to Nebraska lottery officials. The golden ticket was purchased in a Lincoln convenience store. With the state lottery office closed for Presidents Day, the winner may not be known until Tuesday, if then.
"You would have had a better chance of being struck by lightning than winning this lottery," reports CBS News correspondent Bianca Solorzano on The Early Show.
But some lucky person beat the 1-in-146.1 million odds when they bought their quick pick ticket, winning the largest lottery jackpot ever.
Saturday's $365 million Powerball payout had people lining up in 28 states across the country for their chance to win it big. But in the end, it was sold at the U-Stop on West O Street in Lincoln.
"I never in my wildest dreams ever thought it would happen in Nebraska, let alone one of my stores," owner Mick Mandl said.
Lottery and store officials have figured out the time the ticket was purchased, but even with the help of a security camera, it's hard to determine just who the winner is.
The U-Stop — which earns a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket — has been swarmed with reporters and customers since word spread of the ticket's sale.
"It's been crazy," Mandl told The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm "I can't imagine what it would feel like for the winner when they announce it."
"If I sold the ticket to them I hope they'd share in the winnings — at least, even one-tenth of a percent would suit me just fine," said Stacey Carey, a clerk at the U-Stop.
"We get all kinds of clientele in here so it could be anywhere from a rich businessperson to somebody who lives in low-income housing across the street," Carey said.
Records indicate the ticket was bought at 3:09 p.m. Friday and its numbers were computer-generated.
Lottery officials say if you have the winning ticket, make sure you sign your name on it, reports Solorzano. Now is the time to get legal advice, financial advice and start thinking about how you are going to spend all that money.
The winning numbers drawn Saturday were 15, 17, 43, 44 and 48, with a Powerball number of 29, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association of Des Moines, Iowa, which runs the game for the participating states.
The winning ticket holder has the option of taking the money in one lump sum or installments over 30 years. The cash option is $177.3 million, or $124.1 million after taxes. On the installment plan, the first payment would be $6,507,986 after taxes.