$182m lotto winner steps forward
Friday March 4th 2011The winner of last Saturday’s $182million Powerball lottery jackpot has come forward to collect their prize. Ines Carvajal, of Kissimmee, Florida, matched all six numbers in the draw held on February 26, scooping the huge jackpot. She was the only player to pick all the main numbers, 4, 13, 17, 21 and 35, and the Power Ball, 10.
Lottery organisers said Ms Carvajal chose to take a one-off cash lump sum instead of annual payments. After coming forward to validate her ticket on Thursday the new multi-millionaire was handed a cheque for $91, 187,716.
Ms Carvajal was at a Publix store with her sister, who was buying a lotto scratchcard, when she remembered that she hadn’t checked her lottery numbers from the weekend. Moments later she found out her life had changed forever.
The 69-year-old declined to appear before reporters in person, but told lottery chiefs that she will share the cash with members of her family.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Publix supermarket on Fortune Road in Kissimmee, which will receive a bonus of $65,000.
A spokesperson for the Florida Lottery, said: "It was a pleasure to greet Florida’s fourth Powerball winner. This Powerball drawing was not only lucky for our jackpot winner, but also proved lucky for other Floridians, turning more than 224,000 players into winners."
Written by Peter Kirkham