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January/February 2016 // PUBLIC GAMING INTERNATIONAL //
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POWERBALL HIT AT $1.584 BILLION
On Jan. 13, Powerball was hit at $1.584
billion. Three people held the winning
tickets for the $1.584 billion Jackpot. The
three winners will split the prize. They
can take the winnings in annual payments
spread over decades or a smaller amount in
a lump sum. Should these Powerball win-
ners opt to take the lump-sum payment,
the cash value of the $1.58 billion jackpot
is $983.5 million, split three ways. In ad-
dition to the three winning jackpot tickets
sold in this world-record Powerball lottery,
there were eight tickets that won $2 mil-
lion and 73 that netted $1 million.
The winning tickets were sold at a 7-Elev-
en in Chino Hills, California; at a Publix
grocery store in Melbourne Beach, Florida;
and at Naifeh’s family-owned grocery store
in Munford, TN. The jackpot amounts had
risen steadily since Nov. 4, when it started at
$40 million. “It’s history. We’re all so excited
for our city,” said one resident of Chino
Hills where winning ticket in California
was bought. The store clerks became instant
celebrities, with customers requesting selfies
with them. The 7-Eleven will get a $1 mil-
lion bonus for selling the winning ticket.
After a whirlwind trip to New York City
for a visit with The Today Show, the Ten-
nessee winners of one-third of the Power-
ball jackpot arrived at Tennessee Lottery
headquarters in Nashville today to claim
their share of the prize, an incredible
$528.8 million. Lisa and John Robinson
of Munford, along with their daughter
Tiffany and dog Abby, were greeted at the
door by Tennessee Lottery President and
CEO Rebecca Hargrove. “I am a little
overwhelmed and excited,” Lisa Robinson
said during the afternoon press conference.
“We just wanted a little piece of the pie,
but instead we got a big piece!” The Rob-
inson’s chose to receive the lump sum cash
payment of $327,835,000 rather than the
annuitized amount of $528.8 million.
Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, as
well as the District of Columbia, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. But resi-
Continued on page 70
Patrons line up to buy Powerball lottery tickets outside the Primm Valley Casino Resorts Lotto Store just inside the
California border Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, near Primm, Nev. John Locher / AP
Tiffany Robinson next to the
Powerball Jackpot sign