He said he would “take my wife to a better place than Miami where he’s lived for 20 years.” One possible destination, he said, was his wife’s hometown of Honduras.
gentlemen. Perez, a former police officer and Powerball veteran, said he usually spends about $50 a week on tickets.
“I just hope someone needs it and gets it,” he added. “Even if it’s not me.”
The Powerball jackpot is the second billion-dollar jackpot in recent months. This summer, a Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in Des Plaines, Illinois, won $1.34 billion. The previous billion dollar jackpots were won in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
Players can purchase $2 Powerball tickets in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The five states that did not participate were Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Winners can choose to pay the prize in one lump sum, worth about $929.1 million, or 30 installments over 29 years, worth a little over $2 billion. The first thing a winner should do is seek advice from lawyers, financial advisors and accountants, according to experts. Winners should research the professionals they seek help from, check their licensure status and get references. (These resources are online.)
States oversee lottery operations and have different rules about how winnings are taxed and whether winners’ names must be made public.
In Florida, anyone can ask for the winner’s name, city of residence and winning amount. Those who win $250,000 or more are exempt from this rule for 90 days from the date of claiming the prize.