POWERBALL WINNERS MAUREEN AND STEPHEN HINCKLEY WIN HALF OF $122.9 MILLION JACKPOT

On January 2nd 2014, Powerball Winners Maureen and Stephen Hinckley of Sterling, Massachusetts, finally came forward and declared that they were one of the winners of the jackpot from the Powerball results draw on 11th December. They drove in the snow to the Massachusetts State Lottery office in Braintree to claim half of the $122.9 million prize.The Hinckley’s shared their Powerball lottery jackpot with David and Erica Harrig of Gretna, Nabraska. 

 

THREE LONG WEEKS FOR POWERBALL WINNERS MAUREEN AND STEPHEN HINCKLEY

Maureen Hinckley decided to play Powerball at Appletown Market, 9 Main Street, Sterling. She has been doing this every Saturday for years, using the same numbers. The Powerball lottery winning numbers were 1, 10, 13, 18, 19, with the Powerball of 27. These numbers just happen to coincide with Maureen Hinckley’s birthday numbers. She has three daughters and one son and so used their birthdays plus her own and her husband’s for her winning line.You can see whether any of these numbers are amongst the most commonly drawn in previous Powerball draws by looking at our Powerball numbers statistics. Massachusetts only joined the multistate lottery in 2010 and this is the biggest win so far.Everyone in Sterling knew on 12th December that the winning ticket for the Powerball draw had been bought at Appletown Market but they had to wait three weeks to find out who it was. Everyone was delighted that it was someone from their town that they knew, and not some stranger who just happened to be passing through. The store owner, Chirag Patel, will be $50,000 richer when he receives his commission cheque for selling the ticket containing the Powerball lottery winning numbers. He was wondering if the winner had lost their ticket, which would have meant him losing his commission. Therefore Mr. Patel was very relieved when he heard that Maureen and Stephen Hinckley had come forward. 

DRINKING COFFEE

Maureen Hinckley said she was sitting in the kitchen, having her morning cup of coffee and, “I opened the newspaper, and there were my numbers. I’d been playing those numbers for years, I couldn’t believe it.” Maureen got members of the family to check for her as she couldn’t believe her eyes.

One of her neighbours rushed over, still in her nightwear, as she knew Maureen’s numbers and therefore knew that she had won the Massachusetts Powerball lottery. Mrs Hinckley then called her husband, Stephen at work, and said, “it’s nothing bad, but I need you to come home.” Stephen said, “I thought the dog had died because she wouldn’t tell.”

“We’ve tried our best to keep it a secret,” Maureen said, “Some people know my numbers and play them for me when I go on vacation.”

  

 

FAMILY AND NATIONAL PARKS

Maureen and Stephen are still unsure what they are going to do with the Powerball lottery jackpot money but they have decided to take the cash payout of $34.1 million, which after state and federal taxes will come to $23,928,090.20. The Hinckley’s have been married for 38 years and not only have four adult children, the last one is still in college, but also four grandchildren, so some of the money will obviously be spent on securing their futures.Mary and Brian Lohse won $202 million in September 2012 and were keen to secure the futures of their children as well with their windfall.“We have always wanted to visit the National Parks and travel more, so that will likely be something we’ll do once this has all settled in,” said Maureen. “And my husband planned to retire in the next few years, so that will be happening much sooner.” “I did say I was going to win in 2013,” Mrs. Hinckley said, “I said 2013, that this was going to be my year. I figured it happened for some reason and hopefully I’ll figure out what to do with it. There is some reason why I won. I just want to do the right thing with my money.”At the press conference in Braintree, the Hinckley's said they hadn’t slept in the three weeks following the realisation that they had won the Powerball lottery jackpot, “I’m in shock. There are no words to describe it.” She has not been back into Appletown Market since the day she bought her winning ticket. Her family were concerned that she may have withdrawal symptoms over the holiday period by not buying her usual Powerball lottery tickets on a Saturday, so they bought her some scratch cards instead!