$4.28 Million Lotto America Jackpot Won in West Virginia
Sunday August 23rd 2020A lucky West Virginia Lottery player became an instant multi-millionaire on Wednesday when they won the $4.28 million Lotto America grand prize.
The winning ticket was purchased at the Tobacco Barn in Milton, Cabell County and matched all six numbers in the August 19 draw: 1-8-17-35-45, and Star Ball 9. The All-Star Bonus was 3X.
The ticket holder should immediately sign the back of the ticket, keep it in a safe location, and make a copy or take a photo of the front and back of the ticket for their records.
The deadline to claim the prize is 180 days from the draw date. The winner may call the West Virginia Lottery at 304-558-0500 for details on how to claim at headquarters in Charleston, the regional office in Weirton, or by mail. Currently, offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Winners of $1 million and above can stay anonymous under state law since 2019. However, there's a catch - winners who want to keep their identity private have to give up five percent of their prize money!
If the ticket holder chooses to remain anonymous, their name, contact details, and winner photo will be kept private. Otherwise, these details are made public and listed on the Lottery's website.
The winner may choose to receive the prize as an annuity or cash lump sum. The annuity is the full advertised jackpot distributed as 30 annual payments over 29 years (the first payment is made after the prize is claimed). The cash option is a single payment of all the money in the prize pool at the time of the win. The annuity is larger because the money is invested and grows over time.
The ticket holder will need to pay income tax on their prize. The Lottery withholds federal taxes of 24% and state taxes of 6.5% from prizes above $5,000 before they are paid out.
About the West Virginia Lottery
Since 1986, the West Virginia Lottery has generated over $10.4 billion to benefit state residents. The Lottery has made a positive difference throughout the state, contributing more than $3.4 billion to public education and scholarships, $1.3 billion to senior citizens' programs, and $1.1 billion to tourism and state parks.
West Virginia is number seven in the top 10 states that love to play the lottery and pays the second-highest amount of winnings per capita nationwide: $307.53.
About Lotto America
Lotto America is a lottery game played in 13 states. Draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday night at 11:15 pm ET in Tallahassee, Florida. Five main numbers plus a sixth Star Ball number are randomly selected using two separate ball machines.
Players need to match all six numbers to win the jackpot. There are also plenty of other ways to win, with a total of nine prize tiers offering cash payouts for matching as little as one number.
For an extra $1 per play, players can add the All Star Bonus option, which multiplies any non-jackpot prize by 2x, 3x, 4x or even 5x the original amount, depending on which All Star Bonus Number is drawn.
In June, Lotto America removed the minimum starting jackpot and rollover increases between draws, due to decreased sales during the coronavirus pandemic. These amounts are now determined by ticket sales and interest rates and announced before every draw.
The biggest Lotto America jackpot was $22.8 million, won on March 14, 2018. Debbie Kujava, of Badger, Minnesota shared the prize with her brother Dennis as part of a long-standing agreement that they would split any big lottery wins. The Kujavas chose the cash option of $13 million before taxes.
Have you won a Lotto America prize? Check your tickets and find out if you're due a payout. Eight of the participating states have claim periods under one year, so check your numbers soon after each draw to avoid missing out.
You can also view the latest Lotto America numbers from the past seven draws or check an archive of older results.
Many players who are not US residents can play Lotto America online using a secure lottery concierge. There's a $2.05 million jackpot up for grabs in the next drawing on Wednesday, August 26!
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