Maine Man is First Powerball Millionaire of the Year
Wednesday January 1st 2020Blaine Marston of Maine has become 2020's First Powerball Millionaire of the Year in a drawing held in Times Square just after the ball dropped at midnight.
Marston was announced as the winner during the live TV broadcast of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2020."
Marston, who lives in Passadumkeag, near Howland, beat four other finalists to win the $1 million prize. His winning number, 1, was announced on-air by country music artist and presenter Jessie James Decker. Marston looked amazed and gave his brother, who was his guest on the trip, an emotional bear hug.
"I can't believe it ... I can't believe it. Way to go Maine!" said an excited Marston. "What does this mean to you and your family?" Decker asked him. "It's a godsend," Marston replied. "I can't even believe it, this is unreal. Like I'm dreaming!"
Before he won, Marston revealed that he picked up a lucky rock during his trip to New York. "I do have in my pocket a lucky rock, which I found downstairs in one of the fountains," he said before the draw. "My brother thought I was crazy taking it out of the fountain, but any luck I can have is good."
Marston said he plans to invest some of the prize money and will also save some of it for his family. After taxes, he will collect about $700,000. He will receive the prize as a single lump sum payment - no annuity option was offered.
“Congratulations to our First Powerball Millionaire of the Year!” said Gregory R. Mineo, Powerball Product Group Chairman and Maine Lottery Director. “This has been an exciting night in Powerball history. We look forward to creating even more millionaires in the New Year, while raising money for good causes supported by lotteries.”
The first-ever First Powerball Millionaire of the Year promotion was a collaboration between Powerball and Dick Clark Productions. To qualify, Marston, who was one of 15 players from Maine who won a trip to NYC, purchased a Powerball ticket worth over $6.00 last summer.
Over 300 players from across the country won a luxury trip to New York in a second-chance drawing. On Sunday, five finalists were randomly selected from the group to be in the running to become a millionaire at midnight.
The competition kicked off last spring with the South Dakota Lottery, followed by Wisconsin and New Mexico. 25 Powerball jurisdictions took part, including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The winners and their guests enjoyed a VIP experience in Manhattan, where they attended a performance by the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, a holiday cruise on the Hudson River, and a New Year's Eve gala at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where the drawing for the first millionaire of 2020 took place shortly after midnight.
For everyone who didn't become the first Powerball Millionaire of the Year: tonight, you could become the second! The $220 million jackpot could make 2020 the best year ever, so grab your lucky rock and get your tickets!
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