Jackpot! Club claims $842 million Powerball prize in Grand Blanc
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GRAND BLANC TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJRT) - A six-month mystery was revealed in Grand Blanc Township on Tuesday.
The Michigan Lottery announced The Breakfast Club as the winner of an $842 million Powerball jackpot in the New Year's Day drawing. The winning ticket was purchased at the Food Castle convenience store in Grand Blanc Township.
An attorney representing the lottery club did not name the three winners who are members of the club. They elected to receive their prize as a lump sum of $305 million after taxes.
"As you can imagine, the club members have felt so many emotions since realizing their ticket was the one," said attorney Mark Harder, who is representing the winners. "They've been elated and overwhelmed, thrilled and nervous."
He identified the club members only as residents of Mid-Michigan. They are planning to retire earlier than expected, buy a second home in Florida, travel more, help their immediate families and give back to the community.
Harder said the winners plan to continue living in Mid-Michigan and retreat to Florida for the winter.
"They've gone from shock and sleepless nights to giving careful thought to how this once-in-a-lifetime event will positively transform their lives," he said of the winners.
NEW LIFESTYLE AHEAD
Harder described The Breakfast Club as casual lottery players who generally only buy tickets with the jackpots get huge.
"So they're not every week players, but when the jackpots get very large they will buy tickets," he said. "They're excited, they're nervous, they're anxious to begin a new chapter in their lives."
One of the club members saw news reports on Jan. 2 about the Food Castle selling a jackpot winning Powerball ticket. He checked the numbers on his cell phone, realized he was holding the big winning ticket and dropped his phone.
The big winner and his wife still went to work that day like normal. They now are looking forward to a new life with different priorities after claiming their newfound wealth.
"This prize will positively affect our family for generations to come," a club member said. "Up until now, we have led a comfortable life and anticipated retiring someday. Now, we're not financially bound to a specific timetable. The world – and our opportunities – have opened up in some incredible ways. This has been life changing for us."
SPLITTING THE JACKPOT
By selecting the lump sum cash option, The Breakfast Club reduced the $842 million jackpot to about $425 million. The 24% federal income tax withholding totals about $102 million while Michigan's 4.25% income tax totaled $18 million.
The $842 million prize is the fifth largest Powerball jackpot claimed behind:
- A $2.04 billion jackpot claimed in California in 2022.
- A $1.765 billion jackpot claimed in California in 2023.
- A $1.586 billion jackpot split among three players in California, Florida and Tennessee in 2016.
- A $1.08 billion jackpot claimed in California in 2023.
The $842 million prize is second largest prize ever won in Michigan behind a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot claimed by a lottery club from the Novi area in 2021.
Food Castle also received a $50,000 commission from the Michigan Lottery for selling the jackpot winning ticket. The store plans to donate their share of the winnings to employees and community organizations.
"Selling the winning Powerball ticket has been great for our business," said Food Castle owner Bill Nannoshi. "We are going to donate every penny of the $50,000 to our employees and community."
Michigan law requires winners of multi-state lotteries like Powerball, Mega Millions and Lucky for Life to be identified publicly. However, individual winners who are part of a lottery club do not have to be named.
Michigan Lottery spokesman Jake Harris said major jackpot winners often take some time to make arrangements before claiming their prize. But he said in April that a four-month wait with no contact was somewhat unusual.
