Three Ticket Holders Split $564.1 million Jackpot Prize
One of the largest Powerball jackpots in the history of the game has been split by three winning ticket holders from North Carolina, Texas and Puerto Rico. The jackpot for the drawing on February 11th, 2015 amounted to $564.1 million and the players will receive $188 million before taxes. The ticket holders have been named as Marie Holmes, the Austin Trust, and the final prize winner has chosen to remain anonymous.
Marie Holmes
Marie Holmes is a single mother of four from a coastal town in North Carolina that claimed a share of the jackpot prize. The $188 million Powerball prize is the largest prize ever to be claimed in North Carolina. Until now, Marie had been working several jobs at various outlets, such as Wal-Mart, Food Lion, KFC, McDonald’s and Subway to support her children.
The 26-year-old bought a Quick Pick ticket at the Scotchman convenience store, located on Whiteville Road in Shallotte. Her ticket matched the winning numbers 11, 13, 25, 39, 54, and the Powerball, 19. You can view the full prize breakdown and total number of winners in the drawing on the dedicated Numbers page for February 11th.
On finding out about her win, Marie commented, "I started screaming and jumping around." "I am humbled and grateful for the opportunities this has created for my family." Marie has decided to take the reduced cash-lump sum of $127 million, which is $87.9 million after taxes.
When asked on her plans for the winnings, Marie is going to give money towards religious and charitable organizations, finish her degree, and buy her mother a house. One of her children has cerebral palsy and Marie also hopes that she can create more awareness about his condition and the everyday challenges faced by children and adults that have cerebral palsy, saying, "Not everyone understands what cerebral palsy is, and what it means to a family. I hope our story can help change that."
Austin Trust
Andrew Weber, a member of the Austin Trust in Texas, claimed the jackpot prize winnings on behalf of the Trust. They opted for the cash-lump sum of $127 million and have requested privacy following this big win. The winning ticket was sold at the Appletree Food Mart, located on 893 E. Princeton Drive in Princeton. The retailer will receive a $1 million bonus for selling the ticket.
Puerto Rico Winner
The final winning ticket holder from Puerto Rico has chosen to remain anonymous. This is the first time ever that the Powerball jackpot has been won outside of the continental U.S. and Powerball tickets only went on sale for the first time in Puerto Rico in 2014.
Page Last Updated: 3/28/2018 9:19:16 AM ET