The odds are 146-million to one, but it’s still possible someone from Iowa will win tonight’s (Wednesday) record Powerball jackpot. Iowa Lottery spokeswoman Mary Neubauer says if you luck out and match all six numbers to claim the 340-million dollar prize, the first thing you need to do is take extremely good care of the winning ticket. Neubauer says people will carry them around in their wallets or purses, put them under their pillows or even in the freezer. She says the winner might instead want to put the valuable ticket in a bank safe-deposit box until they’re ready to come in and claim their prize.
While winning the lottery is a life-changing experience, Neubauer says it’s not something you’ll want to broadcast right away. She says to consider getting an unlisted telephone number before even coming to the lottery office as “people come out of the woodwork to try to contact jackpot winners, so it might be a good idea to just take your name off the phone listings so you can avoid some of that confusion.”
Before going public with their new multi-millionaire status, Neubauer says smart lottery winners will also consult a lawyer and a financial advisor first. That person can be one in the same or two different people but there are obviously tax implications involved and you’ll want someone who can help you make the best investment decisions. The multi-state Powerball prize has been growing since mid-August and has seen 20 drawings without a jackpot winner.