The winner of the biggest prize in the history of the United States lottery is a former student of the California public school system who wants to walk away from fame after receiving more than 2 billion dollars.
Officials of the US lottery in the state of California said Tuesday that Edwin Castro won the record prize of 2.04 billion dollars (about 1.9 billion euros) from Powerball in November.
However, they could not provide more information about the ‘happy recipient’, because apart from the name, there is no other information in the public record, such as age or location, the Associated Press (AP) agency reported.
The winning ticket was sold in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles, but California lottery players don’t need to live in the state to win the prize.
The owner of the establishment that sold the winning ticket received a bonus of one million dollars (about 930 thousand euros).
The new millionaire rejected an invitation from the authorities of that state to speak with journalists on Tuesday.
Instead, he submitted a written statement revealing that he is “shocked and ecstatic” to have won the lottery.
This contest benefits public schools and Edwin Castro noted that he was “educated in the California public education system.”
“It’s gratifying to know that the California school system will also benefit greatly as a result of my victory,” he said.
Winners can choose to receive their prize in 30 annual payments or in a single payment, with Castro opting for the full amount.
Most Powerball jackpot winners try to keep a low profile and avoid the spotlight, California Lottery deputy director Carolyn Becker said.
Some US states, however, seek to publicize winners in order to “humanize” the lottery by reminding the public that real people win real prizes.
The lottery Castro won was the largest in US history because it took a long time for someone to guess the correct six-number combination to win the prize.
The Powerball ‘jackpot’ starts at 20 million dollars (about 18.6 million euros) and increases every time there is no winner.
The 40 consecutive draws until the award ceremony raised 156.3 million dollars (about 145.56 million euros) for California public schools.
Castro’s victory means that three of the 10 biggest lottery wins in US history come from tickets sold in California.
State authorities are in possession of Castro’s winning ticket, and Becker revealed that displaying the paper at lottery headquarters is being considered.
Source: TSF
