Ephrata millionaire!
EPHRATA - One lucky dog in Ephrata is now rich.
One of the two winners splitting a $380 million Mega Millions
jackpot bought their ticket in the Ephrata Safeway. The second
winner bought their ticket in Post Falls, Idaho.
EPHRATA - One lucky dog in Ephrata is now rich.
One of the two winners splitting a $380 million Mega Millions jackpot bought their ticket in the Ephrata Safeway. The second winner bought their ticket in Post Falls, Idaho.
The cities are roughly 125 miles apart.
Each receives $190 million.
The winning numbers are 4, 8, 15, 25, 47 and 42.
"It's exciting for a small community and for the store," says Safeway store manager Geoff Bell. "We have all kinds of understanding that we have a winner coming in and that it might be a person from right here in the community. The excitement that builds around that is really great. Hopefully, we made some person's dreams come true."
Not only is their customer lucky, but the Ephrata Safeway receives $50,000 for selling a winning ticket, according to the Mega Millions Web site.
Early Wednesday, City Administrator Wes Crago said he'd heard numerous rumors about who the winner is, but didn't actually know.
"I think its pretty exciting for the community to think it might be one of our residents who won. Beyond that we're just as curious as everyone else is," Crago said. "It's a gift that somebody has been given and we hope the best for that person."
Later the same day, a representative for Washington Lottery made an announcement.
"The winner has come forward! We now know who one of the luckiest people of all time is," Rachael Odom-Edelman, a representative for Washington's Lottery, stated.
The state is conducting press conference today to announce the winner, which was after the Columbia Basin Herald's deadline. A story naming the winner will be posted on the newspaper Web site - www.columbiabasinherald.com.
The winner in Idaho was not known last night either.
"The Pacific Northwest is green today, and Idaho is a very lucky place," said Jeff Anderson, Idaho Lottery director. "There is a lot of excitement and enthusiasm for our winner right now."
It's the second largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. Two winners, in Georgia and New Jersey, shared a $390 million Mega Millions jackpot in March 2007 that remains the nation's richest on record.
Tuesday's winning tickets are each worth $190 million paid in 26 annual installments. Each winner also has the option of taking an $81 million lump sum payment, Idaho Lottery spokesman David Workman said.
The jackpot winners had to match five regular numbers plus the "Mega ball." The winning numbers were 4, 8, 15, 25 and 47, with the Mega ball number of 42.
Players can check their numbers with the automated Check-a-Ticket system at any retailer that sells Lottery tickets, online at the Lottery's Web site walottery.com or the winning numbers line at 800-545-7510.
"We want to remind all of our players to check their tickets carefully for winners and to sign the back of their ticket prior to presenting them for payment," said Anderson. "They are bearer instruments that will be paid to the person or persons presenting them for payment."
Fans of the ABC television show "Lost" were having some fun with the results.
Four of the six winning numbers matched those that character Hugo "Hurley" Reyes used to win a lottery on the show, only to suffer a series of spectacular misfortunes. Hurley's numbers - 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42 - popped up throughout the show.
Mega Millions said 25,587 tickets matched three of the winning numbers, plus the bonus number - so anyone who played the "Lost" numbers won $150 per ticket.
Since 1982, Washington's Lottery has generated more than $2.5 billion to important state programs, including education construction, stadium debt reduction, economic development and problem gambling prevention and treatment.
At the direction of the 2010 Legislature, Washington's Lottery will be the primary contributor to a number of state education programs such as state need grants, work study awards, and two merit scholarship programs.