LITTLE EGG HARBOR, N.J. (AP) – The winning ticket sold in Little Egg Harbor was bought by a group of 16 employees from the Ocean County Vehicle Maintenance Department, their boss confirmed Friday. They will not come forward to claim the prize and reveal their identities until next week, said Jim Pine, the department’s director.
A Minnesota has man claimed his third of Wednesday’s jackpot. The holder of the third winning ticket, also from New Jersey, has not come forward yet.
Pine said the Vehicle Maintenance Department employees showed up for work Thursday, which “ought to tell you something.” “I couldn’t be more happy for them,” he told the Press of Atlantic City, which reported the first details about the winning group. “They’re a group of wonderful, hardworking people.”
Paul White, 45, a project engineer from Ham Lake, Minn., wasted no time before revealing his good fortune to the world Thursday and saying he had “been waiting for this day my entire life.” White said his family often gave him a hard time for frequently playing the lottery, and he had a tough time convincing many of them that he had finally won.
“The only person who didn’t feel I was BSing them was my mother,” a beaming White said at a news conference where he was joined by his girlfriend, brother and two colleagues. White said he’ll take a lump sum, which will amount to $58.3 million after taxes. Despite the minuscule odds of a jackpot win, White said he often daydreamed about how he’d spend his winnings if he won.
“I’ve totally been waiting for this day my entire life,” he said, lamenting that he has to wait two weeks for his money. “Start the clock right now,” he said, eliciting laughs.
No, I did not win the Powerball
Any guesses as to how long these folks will remain in the 1%? Probably less than a year for most of them.
Which is why my dreams of winning the lottery always include getting it as an annuity, rather than lump sum. Then I could blow off a year or even two without disaster.
My real dream though, is to use it to start some kind of health care plan for as many people as possible. It’s amazing how many hours a person can waste dreaming about that.