If you bought a Powerball ticket at Gill Brothers in Dublin, there’s a chance you may have won a massive payout.
Someone, who has yet to come forward, won the $161 million Powerball jackpot on a ticket purchased from the Virginia Lottery retailer.
The winning numbers from the March 4 drawing included 10-16-18-40-66. The winning Powerball number was 16.
The winner will have 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. They’ll have a tough decision too: Take the full jackpot amount (before taxes) in annual payments over 30 years or take a one-time cash option of about $81.9 million (before taxes).
Virginia Lottery Powerball jackpot fourth-largest prize
This is a big deal. During a year that already features its fair share of winners, the March 4 drawing produced one of the biggest lottery winnings in Virginia history. But it’s also just the second time someone won a Powerball jackpot within the state.
In 2013, a Virginia man won a $217 million Powerball jackpot. Dave Honeywell and his family opted for the one-time cash option, which came out to $136.4 million before taxes.
The largest lottery winners in Virginia history are J.R. and Peggy Tripplett, who won $239 million playing Mega Millions. The Trippletts chose to receive their 2004 winnings in the one-time cash option of $141.5 million before taxes.
The third-largest Virginia lottery prize took place in 2009. Steve Williams won $200 million playing Mega Millions. He decided to take the cash option of $125 million before taxes.
Virginia Lottery profits go toward a good cause
Your dollars toward lottery tickets in Virginia aren’t going to waste.
All Virginia Lottery profits since 1999 have gone toward the state’s K-12 public education fund.
In Fiscal Year 2022 alone, lottery sales totaled $3.75 billion. That resulted in $779 million to Virginia education. It was the second straight fiscal year that resulted in more than $700 million for the fund.
“The Virginia Lottery is proud to partner with local businesses like Gill Brothers to sell tickets and generate funds for K-12 education in the Commonwealth,” Virginia Lottery Executive Director Kelly T. Gee said in a release. “With the Virginia Lottery, lucky players win, businesses win, and schools win.”
Store that sold winning Powerball ticket receives nice bonus
Gee traveled to Pulaski County and met with Gill Brothers owner Andy Gill. There, Gee presented Gill with an oversized check for $50,000.
In Virginia, that’s the bonus lottery retailers receive for selling a ticket worth at least $5 million.