Mystery Still Surrounds Powerball Claimants
Wednesday February 10th 2016America remains on high alert as two thirds of the Powerball jackpot winning trio remain elusive. The ticket holders each stand to win a pre-tax total of $528 million and a place in U.S. lottery history, but no one from Melbourne Beach, Florida or Chino Hills, California has come forward.
The Powerball drawing on January 13th saw a jackpot of $1.58 billion split among three lucky players, but only one ticket holder has emerged to claim their prize. John and Lisa Robinson of Tennessee have already declared their good fortune to the nation, but the hunt is still on to find the other two winners.
Powerball rules state that winners in Florida have 60 days to claim their prize money as a cash sum, after which a further 120 days are permitted to come forward, but with the money given as annuity - roughly $7.9 billion immediately, which is then followed by 30 annual payments. As 28 days have already elapsed, time is slowly slipping away for the winners to reveal themselves and grab $328 million in one fell swoop. In California, Powerball jackpot winners have a year from the date of the relevant drawing in which to make a claim.
Shelly Gerteisen, a spokeswoman for the Florida Lottery, believes that the winners from the Sunshine State may be seeking financial advice before they step forward into the public’s gaze. In an interview with USA Today, Ms Gerteisen said: "The winner [may want] to get their affairs in order, or seek an attorney. It's a life changing amount of money, so [the winner] just may be seeking legal counsel or maybe waiting for media interest to die down."
The jackpot, which hadn’t been won since November 4th, swelled to gigantic proportions in the space of ten weeks and became the largest lottery prize in US and world history. The introduction of new rules in October 2015 also helped contribute to the massive top prize, as the expansion of the main ball pool for the game made it harder to win the jackpot.
Powerball officials are urging players to check their tickets against the official results of 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10, which were the lucky numbers drawn on the 13th of January, to see if they can make a claim for the sensational prize. For fans that have ruled themselves out of the running, there is another chance to play this evening when the top prize will be worth an estimated $157 million. Good luck!
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