It’s a mystery as big as Texas itself; Who has the record $1.8 billion lotto ticket sold in the Lone Star State.
While the identity of the winner remains unknown, the store where the golden ticket was purchased has been shared with the world.
Big’s 103 convenience store in Fredericksburg, Texas sold one of two slips with all the matching numbers in the US, with the second in Missouri, the Texas Lottery Commission announced Sunday morning.
Big’s has embraced its new found fame, announcing on its glass storefront, ‘Winning Powerball SOLD HERE!’
Store employees woke up to the exciting news shared on an employee group text, the store manager shared.
‘We don’t know when the ticket was sold, who it was sold to, or who sold the ticket. We want to know. We’re excited,’ store manager Melanie Carter, 36, told DailyMail.com.
Carter worked on Sunday, a day she wasn’t scheduled to work, to deal with the media and frenzy at the store.
Big’s 103, located at 11905 E. U.S. Highway 290 in Fredericksburg, Texas is one of two stores in the US that sold the winning tickets for Saturday’s $1.8 billion Powerball® Grand Prize, the second largest in US history
The Fredericksburg gas station and convenience store quickly embraces its ties with the winning jackpot
The manager claims the store has not been in touch with the state lottery officials and only knows what has been made public.
‘Our locals definitely have come in, and we’ve asked every one of our locals, was it you, was it you, was it you,’ she said.
Carter did know the new millionaire picked their own numbers, which have to been filled out by hand, instead of the pick-quick option where numbers are generated by computer.
The unidentified winner opted for the cash option at the time of the ticket sale, the Texas Lottery Commission explained, as opposed to a payout over several years.
That means the lucky individual will receive approximately a $410.3 million lump sum before taxes, allowing them to remain anonymous.
The winner has not made contact with state officials, however, they have 180 days from the day of the contest to claim their cash at the Austin headquarters for state lotto.
‘It’s mind-blowing. Everything thinks, it’s not going to happen to us me. It always happens in California, but for this to happen here is really exciting,’ Carter stated.
The winner from the Lone Star State picked their own numbers through a form that has to be filled out by hand. Texas’s newest millionaire will have to split the $1.8 billion-jackpot with the winner from Missouri
Big 103 area supervisor Jaime Aquirre, 43, (left) and Big 103 store manager Melanie Carter, 36, (right) welcomed reporters into their Fredericksburg store, calling it a great marking opportunity after one of two Powerball tickets was sold there
Bigs 103 could get a $250,000 retailer bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket, the Texas Lottery Commission said Sunday
Lottery ticket sales jumped Sunday, employees told Daily Mail
Carter added the store has only been open since February, and they don’t have any prior experience with winning jackpots.
‘We hope the winner was a local. We hope it’s somebody who needed it, but you really never know. As many people who travel who come through our doors, it could very well be someone who stopped to buy a ticket traveling through,’ Carter added.
Fredericksburg, known as a tourist hot spot because of its wineries in beautiful Texas Hill Country, sees hoards of visitors on the weekends.
Big’s 103 is on Highway 290, which takes drivers from the town the bustling capital city, Austin, about 1.5 hours away.
The store itself will likely get a $250,000 retailer bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Carter didn’t know how the money would be spent, but she hoped the cashier who sold the ticket might be rewarded somehow.
In the meantime, the store is already raking it in as lottery sales jumped in the wake of the jackpot news.
‘They’ve been coming in because they want the lucky store. Hey, this is the best marketing.’
Employees at Big 103 spent their shift speculating about who might have won, but they also know Texas allows winners to claim prizes of over $1 million without being named.
‘A lot of people claim it anonymously and maybe we’ll never know,’ Carter said as she sighed.
Once the money is claimed, state officials can release the city or county of residence of the winner, even if they decided to remain unnamed.
‘If you believe you are the lucky ticket holder, we recommend that you sign your ticket, keep it in a safe place, seek financial and legal advice, and then call the Texas Lottery to schedule an appointment to claim the prize,’ officials cautioned.’