$241M Powerball ticket winner from Iowa remains unidentified

Powerball, the American lottery game sold in 44 jurisdictions as a shared jackpot game, is in the headlines. Internet and social media is abuzz with a super successful win by an individual who has yet to step up and identify himself/herself. Even though the owner of the Powerball lottery ticket remains unidentified, the place it was sold has been tracked down, meaning the lucky winner will soon come out.

The Powerball ticket, has luckily matched the jackpot numbers, was sold at a grocery store in Cedar Rapids. The blessed winner will get a hefty sum of $241 million, Iowa lottery officials said Thursday. This unidentified winner is the state's biggest lottery winner to date.

According to Business Week, the ticket holder has two options: 1) He/she could either choose to take a lump sum payout then the total will be $160.3 million before taxes (after taxes, a little more than $112 million), and 2) if the winner chooses an annuity option - payments over 30 years -, the total will amount to $241 million before taxes.

This ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee on Edgewood Road in Cedar Rapids. Hy-Vee stores are a one-stop solution for many shoppers. They provide full-service supermarkets with bakeries, delicatessens, floral departments, dine-in and carryout food service, wine and spirits, pharmacies, HealthMarkets and coffee kiosks. Now that someone has won a Powerball lottery out of a ticket bought from their chains, it will become even more popular.

If you have ever bought a Powerball ticket from the Hy-Vee stores and forgot about it, refresh your memories and go look for that lucky piece of paper and if it reads the numbers "7, 10, 14, 33 and 57" plus the Powerball number of 18. Voila! You could be the Powerball’s winner from Iowa.

Lottery wins aren’t that easy to get and once you get them, they bring along some legal formalities. Iowa Lottery chief executive officer Terry Rich said that lottery officials encourage jackpot winners to consult financial or legal advisers before claiming such a big prize.

He further stated, "This truly is a life-changing amount of money and we want our winners to have the information they'll need as they make their decisions. Whoever has the winning ticket should sign it immediately if they haven't already done so for safe keeping."

Now that the lucky number has been announced, but the winner remains unidentified, it is important that whoever owns this ticket keep it in a safe place to avoid any unforeseen, unpleasing circumstances. Since it could be a security threat, all sorts of precautionary measures are recommended.