Missouri confirms Powerball win

DEARBORN, Mo. – Missouri Lottery officials on Thursday verified one of two tickets that matched all six numbers to split a record $588 million Powerball jackpot, but the identity of that ticket holder – and another in Arizona – remained a mystery.

The tickets were sold at a convenience store in suburban Phoenix and a gas station in Dearborn, Mo., just off Interstate 29, the highway linking Kansas City to the Canadian border.

Missouri lottery officials said they verified a ticket that was presented to them Thursday and set a news conference for today at North Platte High School, near where the ticket was bought.

Lottery Chief Operations Officer Gary Gonder couldn’t provide any details.

Speculation had many of Dearborn’s 500 residents buzzing.

Cashiers Kristi Williams and Kelly Blount greeted customers with big smiles and questions about whether they had bought the winning ticket.

“It’s just awesome,” Williams said. “It’s so exciting. We can’t even work.”

The winning ticket sold in Arizona was purchased at a 4 Sons Food Store in Fountain Hills near Phoenix, state lottery officials said. Customers poured into the store, to share in the big moment.

Clerks at 4 Sons sold 986 Powerball tickets Wednesday, well above average.

Winners in both states have 180 days to claim their share of the prize money.

The numbers drawn Wednesday night were 5, 16, 22, 23, 29. The Powerball was 6. The $587.5 million payout represents the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history.

Tickets sold at a rate of 130,000 a minute nationwide – about six times the volume from a week ago.