After six months the mysterious winners of the $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot have come out of the shadows. Marvin and Mae Acosta from Chino Hills, California have finally revealed themselves as the last of the three winners who split the record-breaking prize.
On Friday the 15th of July the couple entered the state lottery office in Van Huys, flanked by security guards, to claim their share—an impressive $327.8 million. They have opted for the cash option instead of the annuity payout.
Why did they wait so long to come forward? Surely a prize that big was burning a hole in their pockets! It seems they were taking their time, speaking to lawyers and financial advisors about their options. They wanted to keep everything under wraps until they had gotten their affairs in order. This is exactly what lottery experts advise people who play the lottery to do.
If you win the Powerball lottery you cannot remain anonymous. Their names are now public record, but they have requested that their personal information remains private. Public records do show that Marvin is 39 years old and Mae is 40. Property records also indicate that a couple with the same names purchased a property in Eastvale, South California last year. A neighbor noted that the couple moved out the Thursday before Marvin and Mae claimed their prize on Friday.
Now the question is what will they do with the money? They have released a statement expressing their wish to donate almost all of the cash to a trust and charities. They also requested privacy going forward, so it appears that they’re not after any media attention. It’s wonderful to know that there are still humble people out there. The charities that will benefit from the money donated by Marvin and Mae must be very grateful.
And in a strange way, their win has benefitted the local community already. Their house in Eastvale is just 10 miles from the 7-Eleven where the winning Powerball ticket was bought. When word spread that one of the winning numbers had been purchased at this particular convenience store, it caused a frenzy. People flocked to the store and stood in the parking lot chanting and mugging TV cameras, caught up in the excitement of a big lottery win.
Store owner, Balbir Atal has collected $1 million from the state lottery just for selling the winning ticket. He says that his lottery sales have gone up to 80%. It seems the store has earned itself a reputation for being lucky and everybody wants to buy their Powerball tickets from Balbir’s store.
The second winning Powerball tickets were held by Tennessee couple John and Lisa Robinson of Munford. They’re a small town couple who said they wouldn’t stop working just because they had won the US Powerball. The most they had planned to do with the money was pay off their mortgage and their daughter’s student loans.
Another couple from Florida held the third winning ticket. David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach don’t have any grand plans for their lives since winning the jackpot either. David said he would retire. But his wife, Maureen expressed concern that the massive fortune could be stressful and make her less friendly.
Of course, that’s the kind of stress not many would complain about. If you’d enjoy the pressure of being a millionaire, get your tickets for the Powerball lottery online right now.
