$336 Million Powerball Winner Unveiled: 81-Year-Old Louise White
The winner of a $336 million Powerball lottery has finally come forward, and many may be surprised to learn that she is 81-years-old.
Louise White, a native Rhode Islander finally claimed the third largest Powerball win in history. "I want to say that I'm very happy and I'm very proud. This will make my family very happy. We are truly blessed. Thank you," she told reporters.
According to a family spokesman, White's winning ticket was kept in her Bible, which she slept with. After learning of the win, she put the ticket in a safe deposit box. Described as "vivacious," White plans on donating to the Rainbow Sherbet Trust.
She bought the ticket from a local Stop & Shop along with the sherbet, which a family member had a craving for. "Later that evening I was at home listening to the news while the family enjoyed the rainbow sherbet. I heard the drawing and roughly wrote down the numbers as they called them out, but missed some so I waited again until they said again in 10 minutes and then wrote them all down," she told reporters.
"I didn't immediately look at my ticket," White admitted. But after finally checking the ticket, then checking again, she told her family the good news. "We hugged each other and jumped up and down screaming!"
White opted to take a lump sum payment of $210 million instead of an annual payout and announced her win earlier this morning at a press conference.
The Powerball lottery is played in 42 states and the District of Columbia; White's win is the third largest in its history. Powerball started in 1988 and has gone through several modifications, including an increase in ticket price. In 2006, a winning ticket worth $365 million was split among eight co-workers.
