So, You Won The Minnesota Powerball, What Do You Do Now?
Early on Monday we were alerted to some exciting news, a Minnesota State Lottery Power Ball ticket matched all 5 numbers and the power number! To add to that excitement, we found out that it was sold at the Holiday Gas Station at 5430 Grand Avenue in Duluth. Dang, that's close to my house, it could be someone I know!!! Have you ever thought about what you should do if you won the power ball? Somebody needs this info!
The winning numbers were 13-25-44-54-67 and the Powerball was 5. Granted, it could have been a traveler passing through our City but chances are it was someone local and there are things that you should do when you win. Some people keep quiet until they contact a lawyer or their financial consultant. That's because you'll need to make some decisions on how you'll take your winnings. By law the lottery needs to withhold 25% of each payment for taxes, more if you aren't a resident of our state. That's why people wait to consult with someone on how they should collect their money. You have a year to collect your winnings and you'll want to know how much to take out to pay at the end of the year, after all it IS considered income and you'll own to both the feds and the state.
Seriously, the first thing you need to do is find your winning ticket and sign the back so that no one else can do that, then store it in a safe place. My suggestion would be at a safe deposit box at a bank. Leaving it somewhere safe in your house probably crosses your mind, but it's a MILLION dollars, don't take chances with fire or the dog eating it. Get it in a safe place, like now!
So, where do you go? Smaller amounts won can be collected through the mail, but a win of this magnitude will require that you go to the Lottery headquarters in Roseville, MN. Walk-ins are not welcome, you'll need to schedule an appointment to claim your prize by calling 1.651.635.8273.
On a side note, there was also a winner on the Range of $41,304 of the Northstar Cash game with the winning numbers 2-3-9-12-17 being sold at the Y Store at 6368 Highway 169. Not a million, but I'd still ticket it. Heck, I'm thrilled when I win $2 on scratchy tickets!