Winners of $687.8m Powerball Jackpot Yet to Claim Prizes

WINNERS OF $687.8M POWERBALL JACKPOT YET TO CLAIM PRIZES

Last Saturday saw the long wait for a Powerball jackpot winner end as two tickets shared the $687.8m top prize. The winning tickets were sold in Iowa and New York but so far neither of the lucky ticket-holders have come forward to claim their prizes. The big win came just days after the $1.6bn Mega Millions win.Some winners take a while to claim their winnings. Canadian Shelia Cleasby took three months to claim her $1m Lotto 6/49 prize. It took three weeks for Jacqui Shannon from England to discover her £1m EuroMillions windfall.The never to be forgotten numbers that produced the Powerball jackpot win were: 08-12-13-19-27 and the Powerball 04. They were an ideal selection for those players who decide to use birthdays and anniversaries as a way of choosing their numbers. That’s just what $1.7m Lotto 6/49 winners Margaret and Gerald Stewart from Canada did.The New York winner purchased their ticket from the West Harlem Deli Corp. It was at 6.30am that the manager of the store received a call telling him that one of the Powerball jackpot winning tickets had been sold at his store. The manager said that previously they had sold five tickets that had each won $1,000.It was in the rural community of Redfield in Iowa that the other Powerball jackpot winning ticket was purchased, at Casey’s Convenience store. Redfield only has a population of about 800 people. "This is the biggest prize that’s ever been won in Iowa, period," said Mary Neubauer, spokesperson for the Iowa Lottery. She added: "Redfield is a bit of an outlier and it’s such a small town. It goes to show the true randomness of a game like Powerball."Whoever has been lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot will have a big decision to make. The winners can accept their winnings as a one-off lump sum which will be $198.1m before tax; alternatively, they can receive their Powerball winnings as an annuity with an initial payment of $5.2m and further payments over the next 29 years, again with tax to be paid."Most people just say, 'I just want all the money up front.' Just go ahead and give it to me," Neubauer said. The winner also must decide whether to go public or remain anonymous.  The Iowa Lottery have said they want to plan a fun announcement when the Powerball winner does come forward.Get a chance of becoming next big winner and purchase your tickets online at Lottery24.com.