Delaware Player Claims Prize After Reading About Himself
A Powerball player from Ellendale, Delaware, has come forward to claim a prize worth $50,000 after reading an article about the unclaimed winnings on his phone. The 69-year-old man, who has decided to remain anonymous, hadn’t checked his tickets before reading about himself, but said he was “in disbelief” that he had won the five-figure windfall.
Winning Ticket Bought From Royal Farms
The player had one of twelve tickets that matched four main numbers and the Powerball in the drawing on Wednesday 13th June, taking home $50,000. He collected his prize on Monday 17th September, three months after the drawing, and is set to receive $38,000 after tax. The winner, who overcame odds of 1 in 913,129 to win his prize, revealed to Delaware Lottery officials that he buys a Quick Pick ticket for every Powerball drawing from the nearby Royal Farms.
Luckily, he always saves his tickets, and said: “I took them in to have the cashier check them. She said I was a winner, but joked that the winning amount was too much to tell me right there in the store. I play every Wednesday and Saturday morning when I stop for coffee.” When asked about what he would do with his winnings, he revealed: “I plan to pay off some bills and put some in the bank. I’ll also spend some of it on an old car I’ve been fixing up.”
Claiming Prizes in Delaware
Powerball players in Delaware have one year from the date of a drawing to come forward and collect any winnings. Although the Ellendale winner’s prize remained unclaimed for three months, there was still plenty of time for it to be collected before the claims deadline expired.
Prizes worth over $5,000 must be claimed from the Delaware Lottery Office on 1575 McKee Road, Suite 102, in Dover, between 8am and 4pm. Winners have to show a proof of identification and a social security card to begin the claims process. If the deadline passes without a winner coming forward, the money is given back to the Delaware General Fund.
Expired Powerball Prize in The First State
Whilst the winner from Ellendale came forward to collect his prize before one-year deadline passed, there was a Powerball prize from the same area, also worth $50,000, that expired earlier this year following the drawing on 24th May 2017. The ticket was purchased from the Sunoco at Delaware House Travel Plaza.
There have been 10 jackpot-winning Powerball tickets sold in Delaware since September 1993, ranging from a $9.3 million prize up to winnings worth $121.6 million. One winning ticket worth $2 million has been sold in the state since July 2009, and 13 tickets worth $1 million have been purchased in this time.
Page Last Updated: 9/19/2018 10:44:38 AM ET
