Rural Texas Gas Station Sold One of Two Winning $1.8 Billion Powerball Tickets
Bigs Gas Station in Fredericksburg saw a surge of customers as the jackpot climbed; the ticket holder has time to claim one of two equal shares of the prize
A tiny roadside gas station in rural Texas is the retail location that sold one of two winning tickets for the record $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot drawn over the weekend, the Texas Lottery and the store’s manager said.
Bigs Gas Station, located off U.S. Highway 290 in Fredericksburg about 75 miles west of Austin, sold one of the two top-prize tickets in the drawing. The other ticket was sold in Missouri. The winning numbers were 11, 23, 44, 61, 62 and the red Powerball 17.
Melanie Carter, manager of Bigs Gas Station, told CBS Austin she was stunned when she received a text early Sunday notifying her that the store had sold a winning ticket. "Nobody ever thinks, ‘Hey, my store’s going to win a jackpot,’ but here we are," Carter said. She said the store has seen increased traffic and sales in recent weeks as the jackpot climbed, and that she did not know which customer bought the ticket or which employee printed it because of the high volume of customers.
Powerball officials said the two ticket holders will split the advertised jackpot equally. Each winner can choose an annuitized prize of $895 million paid over 29 years or a one-time lump sum of $410.3 million before taxes. State rules determine how long winners have to claim prizes, with windows ranging from 90 days to one year depending on where the ticket was purchased.
The drawing also produced 15 tickets that matched the five white balls and won $1 million each. Those winners were from California (2), Colorado, Florida, Illinois (2), Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York (2), Ohio (2), Oregon, Texas (2) and West Virginia.
The Missouri ticket marks the 33rd time a Powerball jackpot has been won in that state, trailing Indiana, which has had the most Powerball top-prize wins at 39. For Texas, this is the third time a Powerball jackpot ticket has been sold in the state.
Lottery officials and store staff have not identified the customers who purchased the winning ticket. Under state privacy rules and the timelines for claiming prizes, winners may remain anonymous in some states but must complete required paperwork to receive funds.
The surge of customers at retail locations selling big jackpots is a recurring effect of multimillion-dollar drawings, as players purchase single tickets or join group pools. Retailers that sell winning tickets sometimes receive a commission or bonus from their state lottery for selling a top-prize ticket, depending on local lottery policies.
Winners of large lottery prizes typically consult financial, tax and legal advisors before choosing between lump-sum payments and annuities, as tax treatment and long-term financial planning vary by individual circumstances and state law. Powerball officials advised winners to sign the back of their ticket, keep it in a safe place and consult professionals familiar with large prize claims.
The Texas Lottery confirmed the sale and provided location details; additional information about the identity of the winner and the timing of any claim will depend on the ticket holder's decisions and state rules governing disclosure and claims.