Winning Powerball Jackpot Ticket Sold in North Texas: Lottery

Someone bought a winning Powerball ticket from the Appletree Food Mart in Princeton. (Published Thursday, Feb 12, 2015)

When Chandra Siwakoti pulled up for work at the North Texas food mart he owns Thursday, he was surprised to find a small group of people already waiting at the door.

"I asked them, 'Hey, what's going on?' They said, 'You hit the Powerball jackpot from your store,'" the Appletree Food Mart owner said.

Siwakoti has no idea he had sold a winning Powerball ticket from last night's half billion-dollar jackpot until he encountered several media members at the store in Princeton, just east of McKinney.

The winner, one of at least three, will become a multimillionaire. Siwakoti will get a share of the winnings, too.

The owner of the Appletree Food Mart in Princeton, just east of McKinney, says he didn't know he sold a winning Powerball ticket until he arrived at the store and saw media members. (Published Thursday, Feb 12, 2015)

According to the Texas Lottery, stores that sell winning tickets receive 1 percent of the jackpot portion sold in the state. The amount is capped at $1 million, which is near what Siwakoti will likely receive.

Two other winning tickets were purchased in North Carolina and Puerto Rico.

The winning numbers in Wednesday's $564 million drawing were 11, 13, 25, 39, 54 and Powerball 19.

With $500 million in Wednesdays Powerball jackpot, Texans bought the $2 tickets at the rate of 25,503 a minute Wednesday night. (Published Wednesday, Feb 11, 2015)

Wednesday's Powerball jackpot drawing was the fifth largest prize in U.S. history, and the third-largest Powerball. More than two months have passed since someone won the Powerball jackpot, so the prize has been gradually growing from its $40 million starting point.

Texans bought the $2 Powerball tickets at the rate of 25,503 per minute on Wednesday, according to officials with Texas Lottery.

Sue Dooley with the Multi-State Lottery Association says the Puerto Rico ticket was the first Powerball jackpot winner ever sold outside the continental U.S. Puerto Rico joined Powerball less than a year ago. Besides 44 states and Washington, D.C., the game is also played in the Virgin Islands.

Should the winners select the lump sum option, each would get one-third of more than $381 million before taxes. The other option is the lottery make payments 30 times over 29 years.

Published at 11:48 PM CST on Feb 11, 2015

Copyright Associated Press / NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Source: http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Winning-Powerball-Jackpot-Ticket-Sold-in-Texas-Lottery-291616751.html