Posted on 04/23/2010 5:12:43 PM PDT by Libloather
Store clerk is winner of $258.5M Powerball lottery jackpot
Apr. 23, 2010, 7:56 a.m.
The winning ticket for the biggest jackpot in Missouri history was sold at a convenience store in Marshall, and a store official said Thursday that the winner is a clerk who works at the store.
Lottery officials announced Thursday that a Powerball ticket purchased at the city's Break Time convenience store hit all six numbers in Wednesday night's drawing. The $258.5 million jackpot is the biggest ever won in Missouri, and the 10th-biggest Powerball jackpot ever.
Although the Lottery is waiting to verify the ticket before announcing the name of the winner, a Break Time official said the Lottery's communications director had left the store Thursday morning with an employee who bought the winning ticket.
"Gary Gonder with the Lottery scooped him off and is taking him to Jefferson City," said Jackie Maxwell, general manager of the Missouri-based Break Time convenience store chain. "The Missouri Lottery looked at his ticket, confirmed his numbers and took him away."
Maxwell was at the store doing a telephone interview with The Associated Press when the employee walked in and said he had won.
"This is just absolutely amazing," Maxwell said as cheering erupted in the background. "I'm so excited for him. I'm thrilled for him."
Lottery spokeswoman Susan Goedde confirmed that the ticket had been bought at that store and said it could take up to a day to verify the winning ticket.
The winner has been identified as Chris Shaw of Marshall, Mo. Shaw is in his 20s and has been working at the store for only a few months before striking it rich.
"At this point he's trying to absorb that it's even real," she said in a later phone conversation with AP. "He's just a great guy, a good employee. When you think of a large winner like this, everyone likes to see that the person who won is somebody like (him). He's an awesome guy."
Natasha Woody said that she sold the winning ticket to her co-worker Wednesday night, adding that at the time he joked about having the winning ticket and told Woody that if he won he would give her $2 million.
"It's just the fact that I sold it," said Woody. "I got to touch the ticket."
Other customers said they wished they had purchased a ticket on Wednesday. One person said, "That could have been me, but I'm so excited for him."
Woody doesn't know if Shaw will take the joking promise seriously, but she said, "Honestly I think he'll do something, because he's that kind of guy."
Store manager Debbie Rogers said that Shaw had been a truck driver before working at the store. "He stopped driving trucks so he can be with his family," said Shaw.
He had been making $7.25 an hour as a clerk. Rogers said he had been facing some tough times.
"Nobody deserves it more than him," she said.
The winner can choose between a lump-sum pretax payment of roughly $124.8 million or take the jackpot in 30 payments over 29 years.
The winning numbers were 11-34-41-49-55, Powerball 20. The Power Play number was 2.
Break Time will receive $50,000 for selling the winning ticket.
The prize goes to an estimated $20 million for Saturday.
Maxwell said there have been several other lottery winners at Break Time stores in the past couple of years, including a $2.5 million Missouri Lotto ticket in St. Joseph, $1.5 million Lotto winner in Jefferson City and $1 million scratch-off ticket winner in Mexico. Mo.
Chris Shaw, 29, said he plans to use the winnings to pay off the $1,000 he owes a friend for a truck he recently bought, catch up on his utility bills, see a dentist about getting his two missing front teeth replaced, and take his three children and his girlfriend's two children to Walt Disney World in Florida.
http://www.bvonmoney.com/2010/04/23/powerball-winner-missouri-lottery-winner-christopher-shaw/
I can’t bring myself to even try to come up with a clever caption, even thought those teeth might be begging for it.
I’m just happy for the guy.
Unfortunately I can really relate to bank account balance part too...
How would somebody most likely lose their two front teeth? A fight or decay? Any FReeper dentists care to weigh in?
I can tell this guy is going to be broke within 5 years. Did he hire some attorneys and get a financial planner? I doubt it. I would never claim a jackpot in person, I’d incorporate into a corporation or a non-profit organization and claim the money that way.
May he be the exception to the rule that winning the lottery ruins ones life.
There is a monster truck in this guy’s future.
Meth? Accident?
meth?
Kind of risky to tell the REAL WINNER that he (or she) lost, and the turn in the ticket...but generally, it works. Normally, you get a ‘friend’ to ‘win’ and then split the money.
The real winner probably has no clue as to what happened.
Bummer.
Blessings on this man.
Well.... what can ya say?
God bless him.
Very cruel post AND request.
Yes, spend your money wisely and save it even more wisely for the future and your family.
Then throw one helluva party for your company and friends.
If he limits his spending to just a mere $1 million a year... he should do okay ... LOL ...
2."Yes, I AM of British descent, how'd you know?"
Natasha Woody said that she sold the winning ticket to her co-worker Wednesday night, adding that at the time he joked about having the winning ticket and told Woody that if he won he would give her $2 million.
Hmmmm..., sounds like an agreement to me ... could be enforced ... :-)
Some folks set up a "trust" and the winning lottery ticket is brought in by an attorney representing the trust so that the beneficiaries are anonymous. It happened here in MI a while back. Also some financial planners recommend taking it not lump sum but via the annuitizaation, i.e. the 20 yr payment plan, that way you only get a couple of million a year and have less of a chance of screwing it all up royally. Combine the Trust and the 20 year plan and that maybe the ultimate set up. Do not go public like this young man did and that is worth millions more in it's own way.....
I wish this young man well...
And looking at the guy my gut tells me that this $$$ just might prove to be the worst thing to ever happen to him.Watch for alcoholism (more alcoholism?),bankruptcy...and perhaps worse.
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