$1.82B Powerball Jackpot Winner Emerges, Dispelling Lost Ticket Rumors

The mysterious winner of the $1.82 billion Powerball jackpot has finally come forward to claim their life-changing prize. The winner seemed in no rush to take their money, which had sparked a variety of rumors about his identity and whether the winning ticket had been lost.

Arkansas Player Won One of the Biggest Jackpots in US History

On December 24, the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery granted a Christmas miracle as a single Powerball ticket in the state matched all winning numbers to secure the game’s top prize. With a jackpot of $1.82 billion waiting for them, the winner was about to become the state’s latest billionaire. The only thing was that the winner didn’t immediately come forward to claim their prize.

While this usually isn’t a problem, since lotteries provide players with ample time to come forward, players quickly started speculating about the identity of the mysterious winner. A few pessimistic souls even suggested that the ticket might have been lost, which does happen from time to time.

At the same time, winners who do not come forward to claim their prize immediately after winning aren’t that rare. For example, the winner of the $938 million Mega Millions jackpot that landed last fall just came forward to secure their prize months after winning. The same happened in the UK, where a winner who won a jackpot at around the same time as the lucky Mega Millions player came forward to claim it at roughly the same time.

In any case, any doubts have now been dispelled as the Arkansas Lottery confirmed that the winner has claimed their prize.

The Winner Onboarded the Services of Legal and Financial Counselors

While many are itching to know the lucky jackpot winner’s identity, they will have to wait three years as the player chose anonymity. For context, lottery winners in Arkansas can choose to have their identities kept secret for three years.

However, officials did reveal a few details about the win, saying that the winner, like many others, chose the one-time lump-sum option of $834.9 million. After taxes, he will take home approximately $493.5 million.

The Arkansas Lottery was also happy to confirm that the winner was a local. This dispelled earlier suggestions that the player might have been an interstate traveler, considering the proximity of the gas station it was sold at to a busy road.

The lottery also noted that the winner had taken the lottery’s advice to seek legal counsel and financial advice, which could be why they received their prize with a short delay.