Fortune Cookie Story
Powerball history is full of both funny and sad moments. Perhaps the funniest moment was the "Cookie Story". During the Powerball draw held in March, 2005 110 players have correctly matched all five white balls of 22, 28, 32, 33, and 39. Lottery officials got speechless when they realised that they need to pay out an unprecedented $19,400,000 of second-tier prizes. 89 players were due to claim $100,000 while other 21 opted for PowerPlay, hence, each of their winnings amounted to $500,000. No wonder that Powerball lottery officials suspected a fraud.
However, having talked to the lottery winners they revealed that all their winning numbers came from the fortune cookies. Apparently, Wonton Food biscuit factory from New York produced hundreds of fortune cookie batches with six lucky numbers of 22, 28, 32, 33, 39 and 40 written on thousands of fortunes. Unfortunately, the sixth lucky number, 40, did not match the Powerball number of 42. Nobody of Wonton Food staff tried his own fortune with those lucky numbers.
Unlucky Powerball Lottery Winner
Christmas Day, 2002, brought Jack Whittaker a better gift than he could have ever dreamed of - a $314.9 million lottery jackpot. The largest single-winning lottery ticket in U.S. history was purchased in West Virginia, according to Powerball spokesman, Sue Dooley. The winning numbers were 53-14-5-16-29, and the Powerball was 7.
The whopping $280 million Powerball jackpot, building since just before Halloween, jumped to $314.9 million, shortly before the numbers were drawn Wednesday evening due to higher than expected Christmas Day ticket sales. After Saturday's drawing failed to produce a winner, people converged on Powerball states stores to purchase tickets for the Christmas Day drawing, with lines often stretching outside store doors and even around corners. Lottery officials estimated that as many as 600 tickets per second were being sold across the states on Christmas Eve.
Andrew J. Whittaker Jr. of West Virginia was the player who won $314.9 million in the Powerball drawing of December 25, 2002. Opting as most large prize winners in the U.S. do for the lump sum, his after-tax prize has been $114 million. Unfortunately, the pressures of new wealth caused Mr Whittaker numerous well-publicised problems.
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Pennsylvania Powerbal
Barrie Edwards Family
Winner of $42 million, Barrie Edwards of Willow Street will share his lottery winning with a dozen relatives. Barrie and Terry Edwards together with other relatives have bought lottery tickets for years. Ages ago they agreed between themselves that if one of them matched winning numbers, the jackpot would be shared among all the relatives.
Barrie Edwards did not even pay for the Powerbal ticket that earned him millions – he received a promotional lottery ticket free of charge. Now, Edwards and his wife are sharing lottery top prize with other family members.
Winning numbers that earned Mr. Edwards a fortune were 02-05-28-33-54 and the red Powerball was 30. Although annuity value of the jackpot was $86.3 million, Barrie opted for the cash option amounting to over $42 million. The $42.5 million jackpot hit by Mr. Edwards became the 10th biggest lottery prize taken in Pennsylvania Lottery history.
South Carolina Powerbal
Jonathan Vargas
The youngest of all 2008 winners was a 19-year-old Jonathan Vargas, South Carolina resident who finally claimed his $35.3 million prize hit during the Powerball draw held on the 19th of May. Powerbal winning numbers that brought him luck were 12, 14, 15, 21, 43 and Powerball number was 30. Vargas used the ages his four siblings and the age of his mother to match the white ball numbers and simply guessed the red Powerball. If you would like to calculate your own lucky numbers, you are most welcome to do so with Lottery Bunny Lucky Number Generator.
Following his winning Vargas plans to study finance to manage his income on his own. He has hired a financial planner to assist him with managing his top prize so far. He also intends to support his family and buy a new house for his mum. Vargas decided to take a lump sum payment of $17.3 million.
Minnesota Powerbal
Paul & Sue Rosenau
One of the largest Powerball jackpots taken in 2008 was hit by Paul and Sue Rosenau on the 3rd of May, 2008. The couple matched all five winning numbers of 2-28-36-42-46 and the red Powerball number of 40.
They first discovered that their numbers were the winning ones while watching the 10 p.m. TV news. Already in their pyjamas and ready to go to bed they had to change their intentions completely when the lotto numbers were announced. They got dressed in no time and went to Sue's office to double check the winning numbers.
Still unable to believe, Paul had to check the winning numbers once again in the newspaper the next morning. “He was thinking that the numbers were going to change overnight,” giggled Sue. “I was checking the paper for an hour,” Paul added. “I was soaking wet just from the nerves.” It’s something you just never think will happen,” Sue added.
Paul and Sue have opted for the $88 million cash lump sum. They are uncertain about their further plans.
Louisiana Powerbal
Carl Hunter
The owner of a construction company, 73-year-old Carl Hunter hit $97 million Powerball top prize on Jan. 16, 2008. His prize was the biggest single winning taken in the Lottery’s history. Hunter opted for the one-time cash lump sum, which was $48,478,863.
While picking up milk for his wife he thought he could also buy a Powerball “quick pick” ticket at West Metairie Shell on West Metairie Avenue in Metairie. “There was a person in line in front of me and behind me also purchasing tickets for the drawing. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” said Hunter. Luckily for him his “quick pick” ticket matched all white winning numbers of 9-18-19-38-47 and the red Powerball of 11.
Carl Hunter kept his secret for almost 4 months. As he said, he wanted to finish with the remaining construction jobs prior to “closing up shop”. He said he wants to use his prize to retire, travel and rebuild a camp he lost during Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana Powerbal
Emilia Delgado
Another winner of Powerbal jackpot was Emilia Delgado, 45-year-old neonatal intensive care nurse. While picking her mum to a local hospital, Emilia stopped at Brothers Food Mart #115 on Terry Parkway in Gretna to fill her car. Apart from petrol she also bought a quick-pick Powerball ticket that won her a $34.1 million Powerball top prize.
Emilia worked for 13 years as a nurse, however, that very moment changed her life. In the morning following the lottery draw she woke up to check Powerball winning numbers on the Internet and in few moments realised that she was the winner. She bought a local newspaper just to double check the numbers, however, even winning numbers printed in the newspaper did not fully convince her. She took a car and passed a Powerball jackpot billboard to make sure that the jackpot had been hit indeed. Only then she informed the lottery authorities that she was the lucky winner.
With her lottery prize Emilia wants to support her family.
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