New York Man Claims $80 Million Powerball Jackpot
Thursday October 24th 2019David Yax and his wife Claudia have claimed an amazing Powerball jackpot prize at the New York grocery store where he purchased the winning ticket.
Yax, a resident of North Evans in Erie County in Western New York state, matched all six winning numbers in the September 4 draw - main numbers 4, 8, 30, 52, 59, and Powerball 2.
The New York Lottery ticket was sold at the Tops Market on Erie Road in Derby, near Buffalo.
Yax, who says he plays both Powerball and Mega Millions "faithfully," stopped by the store with his wife to do a little shopping after dinner on the evening of the draw.
He bought two plays - on one he chose the numbers himself, and the other was a Quick Pick, where the numbers are randomly generated by the lottery terminal.
The couple went home, watched TV, and went to bed without watching the Powerball drawing.
At midnight Claudia woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. She went to the window and said the Lord's Prayer; then she saw an "absolutely beautiful" shooting star with a colored tail.
At 4:30 in the morning, Dave woke up, opened his laptop and checked his ticket online. First he checked the numbers he had selected, which did not win.
He then checked the Quick Pick play and "had a big surprise" when he realized he had won the jackpot - "I was pretty happy," he said.
He woke up Claudia, telling her "I have something to show you." The couple say they remained calm because they thought they might share the prize with other tickets.
The next day they realized they were the sole winners of the jackpot, which they said was a little overwhelming. Dave quickly called a financial advisor and a lawyer.
Yax has opted to receive his prize as a lump sum single payment, which will be almost $38.5 million after taxes. The prize is the largest Powerball jackpot ever won in Western New York.
The couple plan to "have a lot of fun" and travel to places they have wanted to visit, like Alaska and Hawaii, as well as setting up a trust and investing. Mr. Yax also has a few other items on his shopping list, including a "nice woodworking shop" where he can practice his hobby, and maybe a pole barn.
Powerball drawings take place on Wednesday and Saturday nights in Florida at 10:59 pm ET.
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