Maryland – The wait is over. The largest prize in the Maryland Lottery’s history has finally been claimed.
Excitement spread across the nation in January when the Powerball jackpot climbed to $731.1 million. On Jan. 20, one winning ticket was sold at Coney Market in Lonaconing, a small town in Western Maryland.
Anonymous winners, who nicknamed themselves “The Power Pack,” have claimed the prize, choosing the $546.8 million lump sum cash option (approximately $366.6 million after federal and state taxes).
The winner who purchased the ticket checked it about a half dozen times before stating in disbelief to the rest of the Power Pack, “This can’t be right, I’m going to work.” The single Quick-Pick ticket was the only one the Power Pack purchased for the Jan. 20 Powerball drawing.
The Power Pack told Lottery officials they have no plans to change their lifestyles. They would like to invest the money to take care of their families and positively impact their communities “for generations to come.”
Although it took the winners four months after the drawing to come forward, they still had plenty of time. The deadline to claim was July 21. Maryland Lottery winners have 182 days after the drawing date to claim prizes.
The $731.1 million jackpot was the fourth-largest in *Powerball *history and sixth-largest in U.S. lottery history. It is by far the largest prize in the Maryland Lottery's history, easily outdistancing the $218.6 million share of a $656 million Mega Millions jackpot claimed anonymously by The Three Amigos in the March 30, 2012 drawing.
“We are thrilled that the jackpot has been claimed, and we couldn’t be happier for the winners,” said Maryland Lottery and Gaming Managing Director of Communications Carole Gentry. “The prize generated nearly $49 million in tax revenue for the state, so everyone in Maryland wins.”
The Jan. 20 drawing marked Maryland’s first *Powerball *win since 2011 and third overall. The previous two *Powerball *jackpot prizes in the state were $108.8 million in September 2011 (Abingdon, Harford County).
Earlier this year, Coney Market received a $100,000 bonus from the Maryland Lottery for selling the jackpot-winning ticket.
Watch *Powerball *drawings at 11:22 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays on WBAL TV. Winning numbers are available at MD Lottery app. Powerball is offered in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 each. Prizes range from $4 up to the jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are approximately 1 in 292 million. The overall odds of winning any prize are about 1 in 25.
Since its inception in 1973, the Maryland Lottery has awarded more than $28.2 billion in prizes to players and contributed nearly $17.3 billion to the State of Maryland. One of Maryland’s largest revenue sources, the Lottery supports important state programs and services including education, public safety and health, human resources and the environment. For more information, go to mdgamblinghelp.org or call 1-800-426-2537.