Arizona Powerball Winner Claims $192.5 Million Prize But Remains Anonymous
The Arizona Powerball winner has stepped forward to claim the nearly $200 million prize, but the man has decided to remain anonymous.
Arizona Lottery officials confirmed Friday that the winner was a married man in his 30s, but did not disclose the man’s name, CNN reported.
“It is difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift,” said the Arizona Powerball winner. “We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been incredibly overwhelming, and we have always cherished our privacy.”
The winner comes from Fountain Hills, a wealthy suburb northeast of Phoenix. The winner and his wife relocated to the area from Pennsylvania, where they regularly played the lottery. Their win in the $587.5 Powerball jackpot was only the second time they had played the lottery in Arizona, an Arizona Lottery spokeswoman said.
The Arizona Powerball winner opted to take the lump sum of $192.5 million before taxes.
The winner said that on the day of the drawing, he went to the 4 Sons Food Store in Fountain Hills and handed the clerk a $20 bill. The clerk tried to convince him to play the whole thing, but the main opted to play $10 instead.
“Clearly, that was enough,” the Arizona Powerball winner said.
He left the ticket in his car underneath the sun visor, but when he heard the next day that one of the winners was from Arizona he rushed to check the numbers.
“They checked the numbers over and over again and were just absolutely shocked,” said Arizona Lottery spokeswoman Karen Bach.
Officials said the man works at a regular job, and after winning he was filled with a rush of emotions, the Chicago Tribune noted. After getting through his initial disbelief, the Arizona Powerball winner was concerned that something could happen to the ticket before he could claim the prize. Finally, the realization set in that he had won a fortune for himself and his family.
The Arizona Powerball winner also has some philanthropic plans for his nearly $200 million prize. Lottery officials said the family plans to create a charity trust to support their favorite non-profit organizations.
