Florida Winner Claims $168.5 Million, State's 14th Powerball Jackpot
William Kruger of Lantana in Palm Beach County is the lucky winner of the $168.5 million Powerball jackpot from August 12, The Florida Lottery has announced. The top prize is the 14th won in the Sunshine State.
Kruger purchased the Quick Pick ticket at Publix, 4770 North Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach. It matched all six numbers drawn on Wednesday, August 12: main numbers 2, 6, 18, 36, 37, and the red Powerball 21.
Kruger beat odds of 1 in 292,201,338 to score the top prize. The overall odds of winning any prize from Powerball's nine tiers are 1 in 24.87.
The new millionaire used a prize claim process the FL Lottery has introduced during the coronavirus outbreak. With offices closed for in-person visits, the Lottery has installed secure dropboxes at its Tallahassee headquarters, where Kruger left his claim, and regional offices throughout the state. Winners can also mail in their claim to the Lottery.
Florida has also extended the deadline to redeem a winning ticket, although Kruger didn't need the extra time, coming forward just weeks after his big win.
He chose to receive the prize as a lump sum cash payout of $140,145,006.00, rather than the full advertised jackpot of $168.5 million paid as an annuity over 29 years.
Florida Powerball Jackpots
Although Powerball has only been offered in Florida since 2009, the state has enjoyed one of the highest number of top prize wins.
In January this year, accountant Sheryll Goedert of Ocala won $396.9 million with a ticket from 7-Eleven in Bonita Springs. The cash option payout of $276.5 million before tax withholdings was claimed via Vacation Life LLC.
Gloria Mackenzie of Zephyrhills hit a record-breaking $590.5 million in May 2013, the biggest US lottery win by a single ticket at the time.
The Sunshine State made lottery history again in January 2016 with the sale of one of three winning tickets for the largest jackpot ever, $1.58 billion. David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach came forward to claim $528 million, one-third of the cash option.
Kruger's win is the sixth time the Powerball jackpot has gone off this year, and it's now rolled to an impressive $75 million for the next draw on Wednesday, September 9. Draws are held every Wednesday and Saturday night at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee at 10:59 pm ET.
Check your tickets after the draw and find out if you're the next Florida Powerball winner.
Published: Wednesday, September 9, 2020Updated: Wednesday, September 9, 2020
