Powerball Winner: Indiana Purdue Graduate Wins $435.3 Million Lottery

A Purdue University graduate working at a Lafayette manufacturing facility in Indiana was announced as the winner of the Powerball jackpot worth $435.3 million Monday, making it the 10th largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

The Hoosier Lottery held a press conference Monday afternoon to announce the winner. Scant details have emerged about the identity of the winner as he chose to remain anonymous. The winner decided to cash out the prize money by choosing to take the lumpsum payment rather than as a 30-year annuity. The winner set up a limited liability company to receive the lottery anonymously and after federal and other taxes, he would have $189.1 million.

Describing how the Purdue graduate realized he had won the jackpot, Jennifer Dzwonar, a spokesperson for the winner, said: “He checked the numbers online, searched his ticket, stopped, and reread the ticket several times, and was stunned to realize he won! ... Once he saw the numbers matched, he couldn’t sleep. He tried calling his brother later that morning, but he didn’t answer. He then called his dad, who joked, ‘I thought you were calling to say that you won the lottery?’ to which the winner replied, ‘Maybe I did!’"

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The winning ticket of the Feb. 22 Powerball jackpot was purchased at a local convenience store, the Super Test, located on the corner of Sagamore Parkway South, Lafayette. The five winning numbers were: 10-13-28-52-61 and the Powerball number was 2. On Monday, Hoosier Lottery officials also reportedly presented the store officials with a $100,000 check for selling the winning ticket.

“I think it brings a positive note for everything that’s going on right now,” Super Test Manager Melinda Carter said when she was approached about the winning ticket, according to wlfi.com. “I know that there’s a lot of things that are really bad going on. But, like, for having a Powerball winner here in Lafayette, Indiana, you know – instead of anywhere else in the world – it’s amazing.”

The winner is planning to share his money with family and may also donate to charities in future. “The winner is very family oriented and close to his siblings and parents. He plans to give some money to family, to help family members pay for their education, and maybe earn an advanced degree himself. He anticipates making donations to charity, but he has made no decisions at this time. He’s excited to travel to see family and is thinking about buying a new car and a home. For now, he plans to stay in Indiana,” Dzwonar said.

Since it debuted in 1992, 39 Powerball winners have been from Indiana (the most in the country) and the Feb. 22 Powerball jackpot is the second time in the past seven months that the winning ticket was sold in the state.