A very lucky player from Wisconsin scooped an enormous $768.4 million jackpot in the US Powerball on Wednesday, March 27th, 2019. There was only one ticket with all the winning numbers for this legendary prize – 16-20-37-44-62/12 and its holder is now Powerball’s biggest individual winner to date. But that is not the only notable mention about this jackpot and this winner. Here is all about its top spot in the world lottery hall of fame:
It is the largest win in Powerball history
Mavis Wanczyk from Massachusetts was Powerball’s biggest individual winner, up until March 27th, when a player from Wisconsin broke her record. The most exciting part is that it all happened due to the massive Powerball ticket sales before Wednesday’s draw. While the prize was announced at $750 million, it was upped to $768.4 million after the final numbers were in.
It is Powerball’s 2nd biggest jackpot
The $768.4 million jackpot ranks 2nd on the top Powerball jackpot list, following the legendary $1.58 billion pot of 2016. It is also the 3rd largest in the world, after the $1.53 billion jackpot in the Mega Millions. The Wisconsin ticket holder will be the one to collect the full amount of this amazing prize.
Lump Sum or Annuity?
This is the difficult question that the winner from Wisconsin will have to find an answer to. With the annuity option, he or she will receive the $768.4 million in 30 annual installments. But the lump sum payout guarantees $477 million in a single installment. It remains to be seen what the Powerball winner decides to do, but whichever option he or she will go with, there are also the federal and state taxes to be paid.
Can the Wisconsin Winner Stay Anonymous?
According to Wisconsin state laws, lottery winners are obligated to come forward publicly to collect their prizes. As such, the Powerball winner of the $768.4 million pot does not have the option of remaining anonymous, unless there are extraordinary circumstances that prevent him or her from going public.