Search on for $200 million lotto winner




Search on for $200 million lotto winner
September 28, 2012

The search is on in the US for the buyer of a winning US$202 million ($195 million) Powerball ticket.

The ticket was purchased at a convenience store in the suburban Des Moines city of Bondurant, but nobody had claimed it by midday Thursday US time.

Iowa lottery officials encourage people to consult with an attorney or financial planner before stepping forward, so some delay in naming a winner isn't unusual.

"This amount, $200 million, is a life-changing amount of money, and we want to make sure the winner is prepared for what will come," Iowa Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer said.

"In general, winners have done just that in Iowa. They usually take their time to get their ducks in a row. It's usually a few weeks or so."

The prize is the second giant Powerball jackpot sold in Iowa this year. Iowa requires public disclosure of lottery winners' names.

The single ticket matched the six numbers drawn on Wednesday night. They are: 13, 26, 39, 41, 42 and the Powerball number 10.

A group of 20 Quaker Oats employees in Cedar Rapids shared a $241 million Powerball jackpot when their numbers came up in June. That ticket was Powerball's 15th-largest jackpot nationally. Wednesday's US$202 million ranks 28th among US lottery jackpots.

The nation's biggest prize was a US$656 million Mega Millions jackpot sold in March. That jackpot was split three ways, as tickets were purchased in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland.

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