Paul White, Minnesota Man, Announced As Powerball Winner; Earns $149.4 Million Share Of Jackpot [PHOTO]

Minnesota State Lottery officials have revealed the identity of one of the three winners of Wednesday night’s $448 million Powerball Jackpot drawing.

At a Thursday afternoon press conference, lottery officials announced that Paul White of Ham Lake, Minn., purchased one of the three winning Powerball tickets. White’s share will receive a $149.4 million share of the $448 million Powerball jackpot.

According to Powerball rules, White had the option of choosing an immediate cash payout of $86 million, or approximately $58.3 million, or annuity payments of the full $149.4 million over a 30-year period. White chose the cash payout.

The winning tickets were reportedly purchased in New Jersey and Minnesota, the Associated Press reports. The winning numbers from Wednesday night’s $448 million Powerball drawing were 05, 25, 30, 58 and 59, with a red Powerball number of 32.

“We had three grand-prize winners,” Sue Dooley, senior drawing manager and production coordinator for the Multi-State Lottery Association, told AP on Wednesday night. “One was [sold] in Minnesota, and two were in New Jersey.”

A New Jersey Lottery spokeswoman confirmed that two of the three winning Powerball tickets were sold in the state, AP reports. Of the two New Jersey tickets, one was reportedly sold at a Super Stop & Shop store in New Brunswick, while the other was purchased at Acme Markets in Little Egg Harbor.

By Wednesday morning, the Powerball jackpot had swelled to a reported $425 million, prompting a frenzy of last-minute ticket purchases. Powerball officials announced before Wednesday night’s drawing that the jackpot had grown to approximately $448 million, making it the third-largest jackpot in the game’s history, AP reports.

The three winners of the $448 million Powerball jackpot weren’t the only players to walk away with a cash prize. Lottery officials confirmed that more than 4 million players around the country will receive prizes ranging from $4 million to $2 million, the Washington Post reports. In addition, one $1 million ticket was sold in Maryland, while another was sold in Virginia.