Someone in Maryland is suddenly $ 731 million richer.
A Powerball ticket that won the jackpot was sold at a convenience store in Lonaconing, Md., A former mining town in the northwest corner of the state. The ticket matches all six figures during Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing.
The $ 731.1 million jackpot is the fourth largest in Powerball’s 28-year history and the sixth largest lottery jackpot ever in the United States, Powerball announced Thursday. The drawing was the highest the Powerball jackpot has been since March 2019, when it rose to $ 768 million.
Powerball did not immediately announce the winner. Lottery winners in Maryland can choose to remain anonymous, and they have at least 182 days to claim the prize.
The winning ticket was sold at Coney Market, a convenience store that sells shops and pizza in Lonaconing, a small town – 1,200 residents – in Allegany County, which has the most Covid-19 cases per capita in the state. About a quarter of Lonaconing’s population lives below the poverty line, according to census data.
“We were surprised and very happy,” store owner Richard Ravenscroft said in an interview Thursday. “We do not know for whom, but we are happy for someone.”
The store receives a $ 100,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the winning ticket. The winning numbers on Wednesday’s draw were 40, 53, 60, 68, 69 and a Powerball of 22.
According to Powerball, the winner can decide to have an estimated annuity of $ 731.1 million before 29 years in 30 payments, or a lump sum of $ 546.8 million, also pay before tax. The chance of winning a Powerball jackpot is 292.2 million.
Another national lottery includes a record jackpot this week: Mega Millions estimates before its draw on Friday that its jackpot will reach $ 970 million, which will be the second biggest prize in the history of the game.
According to an ongoing mythology, the winners of big jackpots are cursed after their luck.
One influential study in 1978 found that lottery winners were not happier than their neighbors, or more optimistic about the future. Other studies have opposed the idea of the so-called lottery curse, suggesting that the overall psychological well-being of the winners bounces back over time after they win the prize.
Mr. Ravenscroft, who has owned Coney Market for six years, said he congratulated the winner. “I really think they have a great chance, and I hope they use good judgment,” he said.
The Powerball jackpot was last signed in New York on September 16th. Since then, there have been 35 consecutive games without a jackpot winner until Wednesday.
The next draw is on Saturday, when the Powerball jackpot will return to $ 20 million.