UPDATED Friday, January 20, 2012--4:50p.m.
MADISON--Napolean Elvord is a lottery regular, but it took him a while to realize he'd hit the Megabucks jackpot on January 14th.
He bought the ticket at a Mobil station on East Washington, but said he then temporarily lost it.
He said he couldn't find it for three days and so didn't know that he'd won. Luckily, he found it on his table at home.
Friday he got the giant check symbolizing the $14.3 million jackpot. He's opted to take the one-time lump sum payment, which will come out to just shy of $6.9 million after taxes.
And as for what he plans to do with it, Elvord said he's currently a semi-retired construction worker: "I hadn't really made any plans yet, but I do look at the economy and think about the people that have lost homes that had homes and had jobs," he said. "And I'm into construction, I like remodeling, fixing up things and I'm looking at possibly doing something in that area to re-sell homes and bring people back into their housing area."
Elvord also said he's looking forward to getting away. Though he wouldn't really give us specifics as to where he's planning to go, he said it will be someplace warm.
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UPDATED Friday, January 20, 2012 --- 3:30 p.m.
To see video of Napolean, click on the video link ABOVE marked "VIDEO: $14.3 Million Megabucks Jackpot Winner 1/20/2012"
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UPDATED Wednesday, January 18, 2012 --- 5:15 p.m.
Press Release from the Wisconsin Lottery:
(Madison)— Napolean Elvord of Madison today validated the winning $14.3 million jackpot ticket in the Wisconsin Lottery's Saturday, January 14 Megabucks lotto drawing.
Elvord took the jackpot's $10.2 million lump sum cash payment. After taxes, he will receive $6.87 million.
He purchased his $1 quick pick ticket at East Washington Mobil, 3859 E. Washington Ave. in Madison. For selling the winning jackpot ticket the store earns a $100,000 commission from the Lottery. Lottery retailers who sell winning tickets with prizes of $600 or more earn the equivalent of 2% of the prize, up to a maximum of $100,000.
The January 14 winning Megabucks numbers were 17, 26, 27, 28, 37 and 42.
There have now been 71 winning Megabucks jackpot tickets worth $377 million since the game began in 1992. The last Megabucks winner was Lisa Gruber of Spring Green who won $3.1 million in October, 2010.
Megabucks is played only in Wisconsin, with drawings every Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots begin at $1 million and grow based on sales. Players receive two plays for $1 and win the jackpot by matching the six winning numbers drawn. The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are 1:7 million.
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Posted Sunday, January 15, 2012 --- 3:29 p.m.
Press Release from the Wisconsin Lottery:
$14.3 million Megabucks jackpot won in Madison
(Madison)— One ticket sold in Madison matched all six winning numbers in the Wisconsin Lottery’s Saturday, January 14 Megabucks lotto drawing to claim the game’s $14.3 million jackpot.
The $14.3 million winning ticket was sold at East Washington Mobil, 3859 E. Washington Avenue.
Saturday night’s winning Megabucks numbers were 17, 26, 27, 28, 37 and 42.
The holder of the ticket has 180 days from Saturday's drawing to claim the prize at the Lottery’s headquarters in Madison. Once the jackpot ticket is validated by the Lottery the winner then has up to 60 days to decide whether to take the $14.3 million jackpot in 25 annual installments, or the jackpot’s one-time lump-sum cash payment of $10.2 million.
The ticket holder is urged to contact the Lottery Player Hotline at (608) 261-4916 for information on the validation and jackpot payment process before traveling to the Lottery's Madison offices.
The Lottery and other State offices will be closed Monday, January 16 for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Megabucks is a jackpot game played only in Wisconsin, with drawings every Wednesday and Saturday. Jackpots begin at $1 million and grow based on sales. Players receive two plays for $1 and win the jackpot by matching the six winning numbers drawn. The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are 1:7 million.
