TALLAHASSEE, Florida – The winner of last month’s record $590.5 million Powerball lottery will finally be identified at a news conference on Wednesday, Florida Lottery officials said.
The prize has been claimed, but the winner will not attend the news conference, which is set for 2 p.m. EDT at the Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee, the lottery announced.
A single $2 ticket matched all six numbers chosen May 18 in the multi-state Powerball drawing, making it the biggest single-ticket payout in U.S. lottery history.
The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Zephyrhills, Florida, but the buyer had not stepped forward until now.
The winning numbers from the drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11. The odds of winning were put at 1 in 175 million.
The winner’s name will be revealed since the check must be made out to that person, but the recipient has no obligation to appear in public to acknowledge the prize, lottery officials said
The grand prize in the May 18 drawing had accumulated over two months, and surpassed the previous record Powerball payout of $587.5 million set in November 2012.
The largest jackpot in U.S. history stands at $656 million, won in the Mega Millions lottery of March 2012. That prize was split between winners in Maryland, Kansas and Illinois. (REUTERS)
