One winner claims $759M US Powerball lottery prize

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A Massachusetts woman on Thursday laid claim to the largest Powerball lottery jackpot claimed by a single person, state officials said.

Massachusetts lottery officials confirmed the lucky winner is Mavis Wanczyk, a 53-year-old hospital worker.

The $758.7 million winning ticket was purchased at a gas station in Chicopee, the lottery said in a statement. A separate $1 million winning ticket was purchased across the state in Watertown, outside of Boston.

Wanczyk faced extremely long odds to claim the prize. The game calculates the chance of winning at one in 292,201,338.00.

Her win Wednesday night ended a two-month drought without a jackpot winner that swelled the prize the second-largest in the game’s history.

The largest jackpot ever was won in 2016 when three people claimed a $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot.

Wancyzk's prize will be paid out over 29 years.

About 40 percent of the winnings will go to the federal government. Massachusetts assesses a separate 5 percent tax on winnings, according to usamega.com, a website that tracks lottery news.