Winner of $768.4 million Steps Forward

Winner of $768.4 million Steps Forward

Posted: Friday, Oct 11,2019 | Time: 05:36 am | Edited by: The Lottery Lab Staff | Updated: July 2, 2021

The winner of the recent Powerball jackpot worth $768.4 million just came forward. The winner is a 24-year-old Wisconsin resident who came forward on Monday, April 22, 2019, to claim the third-largest jackpot in US history.

Manuel Franco, of West Allis, Wisconsin, purchased the lottery ticket on Wednesday, March 27 at a Speedway in New Berlin, a suburb southwest of Milwaukee. The winner purchased about 10 lottery tickets on his way home from work and one of those tickets was the lucky ticket. According to the Wisconsin Lottery press release, the winner said he was just feeling like he should buy a lottery ticket, so he did. He played randomly and doesn’t play the lottery that often. He did not even watch the Powerball drawing and checked the numbers later, online.

Franco quit his job two days later. He said after learning he’d won, he couldn’t believe it and felt his blood pumping through his body. He screamed for like 5-10 minutes to calm down.  Wisconsin doesn’t allow players to claim their lottery prizes anonymously. The winning numbers of the drawing were:

16-20-37-44-62. Powerball: 12, Power Play: 3.

Franco waited for a month before stepping forward and claiming his prize. He decided to take a lump sum cash payment which leaves him with about $447 million. The winner says he is still not sure about how he wants to spend his windfall but he wants to “help out the world” and pay for a family member’s college education. He also said “I'm sure you'll never see me as like one of the people who went bankrupt or broke or anything like that. I plan to live my life as normal as much as possible.”

Franco first played lottery on his 18th birthday and has played off and on ever since then. After winning, he isn’t planning on playing again. The winner also said, “I just can't believe an ordinary guy like me would ever be in this position. As a winner Winner of $768.4 million now, I don't plan on playing anymore. But, I will say that the two-dollar ticket you buy is worth the chance to change your life forever. It certainly has changed my life and I look forward to the future.”