Boise man claims big Powerball jackpot
BOISE – A Boise man in his 30s who had been playing the same numbers the past four years has come forward with the $220.3 million winning Powerball ticket, a record jackpot for the state and the 10th highest lottery prize ever, according to officials.
Idaho Lottery Commission Director Roger Simmons said officials were withholding the man’s name until he can hire an attorney and financial adviser to help him decide whether to take the jackpot in 30 annual installments of $7.4 million or as a one-time payout of $125.3 million before taxes.
Lottery officials estimate that after taxes, the unmarried Boise man would pocket approximately $84 million if he selects the payout option.
“I’m trying to give him some space and let him sort everything out,” Simmons said. “He was relatively calm by the time I met with him, even though he had only known for about an hour that he had won.”
The $4 winning ticket in the multistate lottery was bought Saturday at Jacksons Food Store on Orchard Street in central Boise, the same convenience store that sold the previous record Idaho Powerball jackpot ticket 10 years ago. Pam Hiatt of Boise claimed that $87 million grand prize on June 5, 1995.
Simmons said the latest winner brought the ticket to state lottery headquarters Monday afternoon with a female friend after he went into another convenience store in southeast Boise and asked a clerk what the winning numbers were from Saturday night’s drawing.
“Everything got a little crazy in the store,” Simmons said. The Jacksons store will receive a $50,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket. “There’s been a lot of buzz today, but whether or not we’ll get more lottery tickets purchased as a result, it’s probably too early to tell,” said Deverie Tye, district manager for Jacksons.
If the winner chooses to take the $125.3 million cash payout rather than the 30-year annuity, the state of Idaho would receive an instant $10 million income tax boost that would benefit the state’s public school system. Simmons said the state would receive more total tax revenue from the annuity payments, but the increase would be spread over three decades rather than a single year.