The family said on the Today Show that they planned to officially verify the ticket today.
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Rebecca Hargrove, center, president & CEO of the Tennessee Lottery, makes the announcement at Naifeh’s supermarket in Munford, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016, that the store sold one of three winning tickets in the record Powerball jackpot.
Robinson said he checked the number four times and told his wife he’d only believe they won after hearing from state lottery officials that a winning ticket was purchased in Munford.
However it has been confirmed that the winning ticket.
Perhaps waiting to see how things work out for the Robinsons, the winners in California and Florida haven’t yet come forward.
Workman said about half of all the money goes to cash prizes paid out.
“We’re going to take the lump sum because we’re not guaranteed tomorrow”, John Robinson said.
They say their lawyer advised them to go on TV first as a way of controlling the story.
Ilene Townsend, the lawyer’s daughter, was able to contact the “Today” show’s producers.
Asked what they would do with the windfall, Lisa Robinson said that aside from paying off a loan, they hadn’t had time. Oh my gosh it couldn’t have happened to a better person.
The pair, along with their daughter, Tiffany, appeared on the Today show on Friday, January 15, to reveal to the world that they got all the right numbers in Wednesday’s historic drawing.
“She said check these numbers, and I said ‘okay.’ I looked at them I said yeah, they look like they’re the numbers. But I said yeah I’ll stop and get em”. “I’m nervous for you”, one of the show’s hosts said to Mr Robinson, who held the piece of paper in his hand throughout the show.
At the end of the segment, weatherman Al Roker shouted to the Robinsons: “Mom!” He spoke with the family Friday morning as they were in New York City, but he recalled the moments prior to hearing the big news.
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The prospect of becoming instantly rich sparked a ticket-buying frenzy that had been expected to reach a rate of $1.3 million per minute during yesterday evening’s rush hour, Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas lottery, told a news conference. Tennessee gives winners 180 days.
