Phoenix, Ariz. (AP) -- Lottery officials announced Friday that a married man in
his 30s from a wealthy Phoenix suburb has claimed his half of the $587.5
million Powerball jackpot, deciding to collect the winnings now and not
next year because of the nation's looming fiscal cliff.
The man
decided to remain anonymous after he bought $10 worth of tickets and
kept the winning slip in the visor of his car overnight before realizing
he was a multimillionaire.
He gave $20 to the cashier of a
Fountain Hills convenience store, and the clerk nudged him to spend the
entire amount on tickets. He declined the offer.
After the man and
his wife learned of their good fortune, the husband pulled together a
team of financial advisers and decided to take all of his share this
month to avoid potentially higher taxes in 2013, said Karen Bach, a
lottery official.
"He did have concern with the uncertainty with
the fiscal cliff in 2013," Bach said, referring to the federal fiscal
situation that could result in higher income tax rates.
The man
and his lawyer met with lottery officials Friday, and he opted to take
the cash option of $192 million before taxes. Lottery officials said his
wife owns half the prize because Arizona is a community property state.
"He and his wife couldn't believe it," Bach said. "They checked the numbers over and over again — absolutely shocked."
Bach
said the man is smart and wants to take time to make a solid financial
plan and set up a charitable entity to aid causes that he and his wife
support. Lottery officials say the man told them he enjoys his job and
has no immediate plans to quit.
Lottery officials wouldn't say what he did for a living.
The
unidentified winner later issued a statement that said: "It is
difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift.
We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased
ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been
incredibly overwhelming and we have always cherished our privacy."
The statement directed all inquiries to an Arizona law firm, which didn't immediately return a call after business hours Friday.
A
mechanic and his wife, Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, Mo., already
have claimed their half of the multistate Powerball prize.
The
jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide
buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a
minute.
Before the Nov. 28 drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16
consecutive times without any winners. In a Mega Millions drawing in
March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest
lottery payout of all time.
Lottery officials said the Arizona
couple moved from Pennsylvania a year ago. While in Pennsylvania, the
couple regularly played the lottery but had done so only twice since
moving to Arizona, Bach said.
After realizing he had won, the man and his wife spent the weekend "trying to recover from the shock," Bach said.
Mark and Cindy Hill (r-l) accepting ceremonial check for winning Powerball lottery jackpot, Dearborn, Missouri. (AP Graphic)
