Michigan Lottery Winner of $842.4 Million Powerball Jackpot Remains a Mystery
One lucky Powerball player in Michigan is starting the new year in a big way. A very big way ― by winning the $842.4 million New Year’s Day jackpot, according to the lottery’s website.
The winning numbers for the Monday night drawing were 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and 1. The Power Play multiplier was 3X. It has an estimated cash value prize of $425.2 million.
Officials said Tuesday the winning ticket was sold at the Food Castle of Grand Blanc at 3035 East Grand Blanc Road. The store is an hour north of Detroit.
“I don’t know who won; I hope it was one of our regulars,” said Bill Nannonhi, owner of Food Castle, on Tuesday morning.
For Suzy Mandrell, an employee at the Food Castle, she was just happy the winner was someone local.
“I’m just happy somebody in town won it,” said Mandrell, who learned of the jackpot Tuesday morning from a news reporter’s phone call.
The store will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, alongside additional commissions already made from selling cash prizes and lottery tickets, said Jake Harris, a Michigan Lottery spokesperson.
Officials said the identity of the winner will be unknown until the person contacts the Lottery to claim the prize. The winner has one year from the date of drawing their ticket to come forward to claim the prize, Harris said.
Unlike other states that allow lottery winners to remain anonymous, the Powerball winner will eventually have to be identified.
Under Michigan law, players who win more than $10,000 playing state-only games can remain anonymous, but that’s not the case for multi-state games such as Mega Millions, Powerball and Lucky for Life. The winner’s name, along with the city they live in and the amount they won are considered public record.
State lotto officials have said revealing a winner’s identity is about maintaining integrity and transparency.
The winner can take an escalating annuity payment, allowing their payout to increase by 5% each year starting with $12.7 million before tax, Harris said.
The winner could also choose a one-time cash option payout of $425.2 million before tax, Harris said. Both options include a 24% federal tax and 4.25% state tax, he said.
Jackpots like these help local businesses across the state, Acting Michigan Lottery Commissioner Jessica Weare said in a statement Tuesday.