A HISTORIC Powerball winner has now been identified, after a simple trip to a gas station netted him the biggest lotto win in his state’s record.
The frequent lottery hopeful finally had his dreams come true over the weekend, but a rule will mean he will lose half his jackpot.
The frequent lottery hopeful finally had his dreams come true over the weekend, but a rule will mean he will lose half his jackpotGetty Images - GettyThe US Sun reported on the historic story of a man taking home the highest amount in Kentucky’s lottery ever.
At the time, the name of the winner was not known, and we had no idea if it ever would be.
The $167.3 million he walked away with beat the previous largest total by tens of millions of dollars.
Before this, the largest Powerball win in Kentucky was a $128.6 million jackpot sold in December 2009.
Now, we know that James Farthing is that record breaker, as reported by WKYT.
James’ win has been dubbed as “unprecedented”, and it all happened after he wandered into a gas station a few days before.
After going to a gas station in Georgetown, he bought a lotto ticket, something he does often.
James said after coming forward: “I come in here all the time.
“I’m always buying [lottery tickets] ‘cause I’m like ‘somebody’s gotta win.'”
A CALL FROM MOM
He was then alerted to his incredible win by his mother when he woke up the next day.
Linda Grizzly phoned her son after hearing that he had bought the winning ticket from the man who sold it to him behind the counter, Mitch Bowling.
Linda exclaimed: “I called and texted it to him.
“He said the man here sold it to him.”
And Mitch confirmed the amazing story: “I’ve sold big winners before, but nothing like this.
“I mean, this is unprecedented.”
Speaking on his win, James simply said: “You gotta play to win.”
Before he had come forward, the news was already sending shock waves throughout the lotto world.
Kentucky Lottery President and CEO Mary Harville was quick to emphasize how important this win is not only for the officials, but for the locals, too.
She said: “This is truly another historic moment for the Kentucky Lottery, our retailers, and more importantly, our players.”
SHOW ME THE MONEY
While James still has to bring his ticket to Louisville to be verified, he faces a tough decision when he gets there.
The Lexington Herald Leader reports that the IRS automatically takes a 24% share of your winnings as tax money in Kentucky.
So James has a choice to make.
If he takes the money in a lump sum, he will pay the taxes immediately.
Lucky lottery numbers - fact or fiction?
The U.S. Sun spoke exclusively with professor of mathematics at Davidson College, Tim Chartier, who revealed the truth behind lucky numbers.
Scooping up a jackpot prize in a lottery game such as Powerball or Mega Millions involves correctly guessing a series of numbers.
Many players swear by certain numbers, sticking with digits such as birthdays, anniversaries, or ages – but do these numbers statistically carry the luck that players believe they do?
According to Chartier, they do.
“I think a number is lucky if you have fun playing it and it improves your experience of winning,” he said.
“The big lotteries are, statistically speaking, a chance to dream of being a multi-millionaire or even billionaire. If playing a certain number heightens that experience, then yes!”
However, the lottery expert clarified that aside from the feel-good implications of playing your “lucky numbers,” no number is truly lucky when it comes to the lottery.
“All numbers are equally likely,” said Chartier.
He explained that even though all numbers are equally likely, some may seem to appear more often.
For example, rolling a six-sided die six times does not guarantee that you will roll each number exactly once.
But if he takes it in portions, known as annuity, he will pay the taxes over time.
At the start of 2023, the tax rate on lottery winnings was reduced in the state from 5% to 4.45% yearly.
If James chooses to pay the 24%, he will lose $40,152,000 before he even walks out of the door.
This will leave him with $127,148,000.
There are pros and cons to both talking the lump sum and in annuity.
While the lump sum does allow you access to all your cash at once, there is something to be said for having the reliable income flow over the coming years.
WKYTJames with his mom Linda after finding out he had won the life-changing sum[/caption] GettyJames’ win has been dubbed as “unprecedented”, and it all happened after he wandered into a gas station a few days before[/caption] Read More Details
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