Breaking the world record for the largest jackpot off all time, the American lottery game Powerball has given away $1.6 billion to three winners in Tennessee, California, and Florida. Tickets were sold in 44 states including D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. However, the six remaining states weren’t left out. Convenience stores at the borders of states such as Nevada, where tickets were not sold, dealt with hour long lines filled with people still hoping to win big. Yet, store owners didn’t mind, as they would receive one million dollars for selling the winning ticket. Starting on November 4, at $40 million, the jackpot soon blew up to numbers so big, billboards around the country couldn’t even fit them, resulting in the jackpot being advertised as $999 million. While most of the winners have not chosen to come out publicly yet, one couple from Tennessee has come forward and been verified as one of the three lucky winners.
However, with big money comes big controversy. A nurse in Ponoma, California had believed herself to be one of the winners until realizing the texted picture of the winning ticket had been doctored by her son in an effort to prank her. Also, with the Internet to help, countless hoaxes and rumors about winners have spread like wildfire. Without a public claim to the winning ticket bought in Chino Hills, California, rumors have quickly spread of who the winner is, including a local skateboarder, Toronto-based rapper Adam Raine, and graphic designer Eric France who posted a picture on Facebook claiming his win. Also, tweets on twitter claiming to be the owner of the 7-Eleven that sold the winning ticket in Chino Hills have offered a fraction of his million dollars to anyone that retweeted the fake tweet.
Even with all these frauds and hoaxes, the biggest controversy lies within the verified winners of the jackpot: John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee. The couple has been under scrutiny from lottery veterans for their abnormal behavior following their win. Before even claiming their prize, the couple took a 1500 mile trip to New York in order to make an appearance on the Today show. Many claim that it was a risky move, like Michigan attorney Danielle Mayoras who told Yahoo News, “Putting it out there on the Today show before you even make the claim, before you even get everything in order, was extremely surprising. It really put the lottery ticket as well as the family at risk.” But luckily the ticket made the trip, as proven by John Robinson who pulled it out of his shirt pocket during the show. The couple claimed their decision was influenced by their attorney Joe Townsend, who thought it would be a good idea to control how they are seen to the public before other media outlets get to them. This plan may have backfired, as reporters instantly flooded to Munford and interviewed the Robinson’s neighbors. The community quickly took to Facebook where many publicly congratulated the couple and spread pictures of their family. In a press conference in Nashville, the couple expressed their hope to enjoy their fortune in peace.
