New Yorker Comes Forward To Claim $245 Million Jackpot

Winning Quick Pick Ticket Bought From Stop & Shop

There were over 3.3 million winners in the drawing on Saturday 11th August 2018, but Mangal was the only ticket holder to match all five numbers - 5, 43, 56, 62 and 68 - plus the Powerball 24 to land the nine-figure windfall. He bought his lucky ticket, a $6 Quick Pick, on the night of the drawing from the Stop & Shop store on Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island.

The store owners will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket, and they have already said they will donate the money to Project Hospitality. It is Staten Island’s biggest food pantry and soup kitchen and has provided the homeless and people from the local community with food, clothing and shelter for the past 30 years.

Mangal overcame odds of 1 in 292,201,338 to win the jackpot, and he revealed he only buys Powerball tickets when the jackpot reaches the $100 million mark. He said he left his ticket unchecked for seven days, explaining: "The ticket sat on my kitchen table for a week because I was out of town. I checked the website when I got back and was surprised that I won the jackpot."

Jackpot Claimed Through The Sea & Sand Trust

The New York-based jackpot winner said he immediately called a lawyer to discuss his options going forward, and then claimed his prize at New York’s Resorts World Casino. The state allows players to claim prizes through a trust fund, so The Sea & Sand Trust came forward on his behalf. He opted to receive a one-off cash lump sum payment of $99.3 million after tax, rather than continual annuity payments.

Players in New York have one year from the date of a draw to come forward and claim a prize, but rules and regulations in the state mean that jackpot winners cannot remain anonymous. Only a handful of states – Delaware, Kansas, Maryland, North and South Dakota, Ohio and Texas – give players this option, so Mangal’s identity had to be revealed when he claimed his prize.

Mangal has stated his intention to use some of his winnings to pay off bills, invest and go traveling, with Hawaii at the top of his ‘To Do’ list. He still went to work after he found about his big win, but refrained from telling his work colleagues. He added: "Right now, I just plan to relax and see where it goes from there."