Lucky Powerball player wins enormous $747 million prize

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By James Kay

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Someone has woken up $747 million richer after their staggering Powerball jackpot win and we aren't jealous in the slightest.

We all dream of winning the lottery, right? Regardless of whether we even play it, it's hard to not imagine what to do with a sudden influx of a life-changing sum of money.

Some people will have honest intentions like donating a large portion to charity or paying off their parents' mortgage, while others will buy a small island to store their new super yacht... there's no judgment either way.

The age-old argument is whether to remain employed even after becoming so rich that it's feasible to lie in the Caribbean sipping on piña coladas for the rest of time.

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The odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million. Credit: Anthony Pleva / Alamy

Some people declare that they would quit on the spot, and others state they would go stir-crazy without a daily routine. Well, one person has this exact choice to make.

Someone in Washington state defied extremely steep odds - around 1 in 292.2 million - and won a staggering $747 million prize on the Powerball last night, as reported by the New York Post.

The prize is the ninth largest in US history as the last jackpot win was on November 19, 2022, which gave the prize pot time to build up over the last few months.

The winning numbers were 05, 11, 22, 23, 69, and the Powerball 07. The lucky winner matched all six numbers and now has a tricky choice to make.

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This is the ninth-biggest win in US history. Credit: Lars Hagberg / Alamy

The $747 million prize is based on the winner accepting one initial large payout but then a small annual payment lasting 29 years that increases by 5% each year. If this doesn't sound agreeable, they can also opt for a one-time cash payment of $407.2 million.

Powerball has stated that both prizes available are the amounts before tax, but even after this gets taken off it'll still be an eye-watering amount.

In January, someone in Maine won a jackpot of $1.35 billion and a California player won $2.04 billion last November, but nobody has claimed either of these prizes. We can only assume they're still picking themselves up off the floor after realizing what they'd won.

Due to this win last night, the jackpot for Thursday has dropped to $20 million which hardly seems worth it compared to the hundreds of millions that have just been won.

So now the question is, what to do with the winnings? Well one UK winner managed to spend £40 million ($50 million) of his winnings by spending £100,000 ($131,000) a week.

Colin Weir scooped a massive £161 million ($200 million) EuroMillions jackpot in 2011 and he spent a quarter of the amount before his death eight years later in 2019.

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Colin Weir posing after his lottery win. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

He spent his winnings on luxury properties, expensive cars, and investments in a soccer club, as well as establishing a charitable trust.

Now, let's all try to not spend the rest of the day being insanely jealous that we're at work and not shopping for a mansion.

Featured image credit: Lars Hagberg / Alamy

Lucky Powerball player wins enormous $747 million prize

vt-author-image

By James Kay

Article saved!Article saved!

Someone has woken up $747 million richer after their staggering Powerball jackpot win and we aren't jealous in the slightest.

We all dream of winning the lottery, right? Regardless of whether we even play it, it's hard to not imagine what to do with a sudden influx of a life-changing sum of money.

Some people will have honest intentions like donating a large portion to charity or paying off their parents' mortgage, while others will buy a small island to store their new super yacht... there's no judgment either way.

The age-old argument is whether to remain employed even after becoming so rich that it's feasible to lie in the Caribbean sipping on piña coladas for the rest of time.

size-full wp-image-1263193466
The odds of winning the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million. Credit: Anthony Pleva / Alamy

Some people declare that they would quit on the spot, and others state they would go stir-crazy without a daily routine. Well, one person has this exact choice to make.

Someone in Washington state defied extremely steep odds - around 1 in 292.2 million - and won a staggering $747 million prize on the Powerball last night, as reported by the New York Post.

The prize is the ninth largest in US history as the last jackpot win was on November 19, 2022, which gave the prize pot time to build up over the last few months.

The winning numbers were 05, 11, 22, 23, 69, and the Powerball 07. The lucky winner matched all six numbers and now has a tricky choice to make.

size-full wp-image-1263193467
This is the ninth-biggest win in US history. Credit: Lars Hagberg / Alamy

The $747 million prize is based on the winner accepting one initial large payout but then a small annual payment lasting 29 years that increases by 5% each year. If this doesn't sound agreeable, they can also opt for a one-time cash payment of $407.2 million.

Powerball has stated that both prizes available are the amounts before tax, but even after this gets taken off it'll still be an eye-watering amount.

In January, someone in Maine won a jackpot of $1.35 billion and a California player won $2.04 billion last November, but nobody has claimed either of these prizes. We can only assume they're still picking themselves up off the floor after realizing what they'd won.

Due to this win last night, the jackpot for Thursday has dropped to $20 million which hardly seems worth it compared to the hundreds of millions that have just been won.

So now the question is, what to do with the winnings? Well one UK winner managed to spend £40 million ($50 million) of his winnings by spending £100,000 ($131,000) a week.

Colin Weir scooped a massive £161 million ($200 million) EuroMillions jackpot in 2011 and he spent a quarter of the amount before his death eight years later in 2019.

size-full wp-image-1263193468
Colin Weir posing after his lottery win. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

He spent his winnings on luxury properties, expensive cars, and investments in a soccer club, as well as establishing a charitable trust.

Now, let's all try to not spend the rest of the day being insanely jealous that we're at work and not shopping for a mansion.

Featured image credit: Lars Hagberg / Alamy