The odds are about 1 in 292.2 million, but someone managed to beat them in a massive Powerball win Saturday, May 7. The winner hasn't come forward to claim the prize yet, but lottery officials have established that the win is connected with a single ticket, and was purchased with the pre-tax cash option, which means it's valued at $284 million. The winner bought one ticket for the Wednesday draw and one for the Saturday draw, spending a total of $6 at a 7-Eleven located in Trenton, New Jersey.
The owners of the supermarket believe that the winner picked her own numbers (as opposed to using the Quick Pick system), and that she is a regular customer at the 7-Eleven. As a reward for selling the winning ticket, the supermarket owners will receive a $30,000 prize – something they look forward to using towards a trip to Alaska.
The clerk who sold the ticket was surprised and excited by the news. Luis Sandoval said, "When they texted me, I thought they were messing with me, but then my second co-worker told me the same thing. I was blown away."
The last Powerball jackpot to hit in New Jersey was a $383 million prize won by a single ticket in 2013. The winner was Pedro Quezada, a 45-year-old Dominican immigrant. When asked what he would do with his winnings, he was a bit unsure, but insisted that a car would be one of his first purchases.