A Tennessee couple came forward yesterday with what they said was one of the three winning tickets for this week’s record United States Powerball lottery jackpot, appearing with their lawyer on NBC’s Today programme.
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John and Lisa Robinson, of Munford, Tenn. presented their ticket to lottery officials following their appearance on the morning show.
Robinson said he would take the lump sum.
Winners are advised to talk seriously with experts in tax law, financial planning, privacy, security and other safeguards before they become known around the planet.
Workers at the nursing home – with the exception of the victor – gathered around a television to watch the live drawing while clutching the tickets purchased for them by chain owner Shlomo Rechnitz, sad David Levy, senior manager for the center.
In a sick turn of events, the story unraveled and it was found out that the woman’s sons played a evil prank and convinced his mother that she was the victor, sending shockwaves throughout the media.
John said he bought four tickets to represent the four members of their family, and chose the Quick Pick option.
The Robinsons appeared on the morning show with their daughter and their lawyer.
The Robinsons’ daughter, Tiffany, who lives nearby, is a recent college graduate in her 20s. “John! You gotta check these numbers!'” Lisa said. They can expect to take home one-third part of the jackpot, $176 million approximately.
“I’ll be there Monday, ” she said after calling her supervisor to tell her to tune in to “Today”. The couple sent copies of the ticket to NBC News, which has done a background check on them and worked to independently verify their ticket as the victor. “It’s a joke. It’s a prank…by my brother”, one of the nurse’s daughters tells the New York Daily News.
Rechnitz bought 18,000 tickets for his employees and residents of the dozens of nursing homes he owns in the state. So the Robinsons would have to get right back on a plane to Tennessee to claim their prize. When she realized there was a match, she checked three more times before alerting her husband. The chances of winning were 1 in 292.2 million, which meant Powerball players had a far greater chance of being struck by lightning or dying in an asteroid strike than winning the whole thing.
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Mr Robinson said that although he was unwell, he bought the ticket at a local grocery store at the request of his wife on Wednesday night, just hours before the draw.
