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Someone in Maryland is suddenly richer by $ 731 million.
A jackpot-winning Powerball ticket was sold at a convenience store in Lonaconing, Md., An unlucky former mining town in the virus-stricken northwest corner of the state. The ticket matched all six numbers in Wednesday night’s Powerball draw.
The $ 731.1 million jackpot is the fourth largest in Powerball’s 28-year history and the sixth-largest lottery jackpot on record in the United States, Powerball announced Thursday. The draw was the highest in the Powerball jackpot since March 2019, when it rose to $ 768 million.
Powerball did not immediately name the winner. Maryland lottery winners can choose to remain anonymous and have at least 182 days to claim the prize.
The winning ticket was sold at Coney Market, a convenience store that sells subs and pizzas in Lonaconing, a small town of 1,200 people in Allegany County, which has the most Covid-19 cases per capita in the city. ‘State. About a quarter of Lonaconing’s population lives below the poverty line, according to census data.
“We were surprised and very happy,” said Richard Ravenscroft, the store owner, on Thursday. “We don’t know for whom, but we are happy for someone.
The store will receive a bonus of $ 100,000 from the Maryland Lottery for the sale of the winning ticket. The winning numbers in Wednesday’s draw were 40, 53, 60, 68, 69 and a Powerball of 22.
According to Powerball, the winner can choose to have an estimated pre-tax annuity of $ 731.1 million paid in 30 installments over 29 years, or a lump sum of $ 546.8 million, also pre-tax. The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are one in 292.2 million.
Another national lottery won a record-breaking jackpot this week: Ahead of its draw on Friday, Mega Millions estimates its jackpot will reach $ 970 million, which would be the second-largest prize in the history of the game.
A lingering mythology is that the winners of big jackpots become cursed after their lucky breaks.
An influential 1978 study found that lottery winners were no happier than their neighbors or more optimistic about the future. Other studies have countered the notion of the so-called lottery curse, suggesting that winners’ overall psychological well-being rebounds over time after taking the prize.
Mr Ravenscroft, who has owned Coney Market for six years, said he wished the winner the best of luck. “I really think they have quite a chance and I hope they use their common sense,” he said.
The Powerball jackpot was last won in New York City in the September 16th draw. Since then, there had been 35 straight games without a jackpot winner until Wednesday.
The next draw will take place on Saturday, when the Powerball jackpot resets to $ 20 million.
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