Tennessee Powerball Winners Come Forward
Monday January 18th 2016The first lucky winners of the biggest Powerball jackpot in history have stepped forward. John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee have only just collected a check for $528.8 million, but having chosen the cash option, the pair will take home $328 million before taxes.
Following the delirium surrounding last week’s record-breaking Powerball jackpot, the couple revealed themselves to the nation by appearing on NBC’s Today show even before the oversized novelty cheque was safely in their hands. NBC News confirmed that the ticket, one of four that the pair had bought from Naifeh’s Food Mart, was indeed a winner. Shortly after their appearance on the show, the Robinsons returned to Tennessee to collect their winnings from the lottery offices in Nashville.
Despite their overwhelming urge to share their joy with the nation, some lottery fans were left feeling uneasy with how the pair chose to celebrate the win. Jason Kurland, a New York attorney who has represented several jackpot winners, was left perplexed with the Robinsons’ decision to appear on national television, was quoted by Yahoo News as saying: “It’s a good example of what not to do.”
With over 630 million tickets sold and players’ chances of winning the Powerball jackpot set at 1 in 292.2 million, John and Lisa defied the odds to claim their share of the top prize. John, a warehouse supervisor, and Lisa, who works in a dermatologist’s office, insist that the huge windfall won’t keep them away from work, saying that they’d both be back at their jobs on Monday morning.
News of the couple’s good fortune came around the same time as a nurse from California also believed she had won the jackpot. The 62-year-old returned home after celebrating with colleagues only to find out that her son had been playing a prank on her.
America remains firmly gripped by Powerball intrigue as everyone desperately waits to find out more about the final two jackpot winners. The identities of the Powerball winners in California and Florida from the draw on Wednesday January 13th are still unknown and players in those states will be desperately double-checking their tickets, praying they’ve been successful.
The next Powerball drawing is on Wednesday January 20th, and will see fans try their luck at winning $50 million. Tickets can be purchased online or from authorized Powerball retailers. Good luck!
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