The winner of a $559.7 million New Hampshire Powerball jackpot has claimed her prize and is donating a combined $250,000 to Girls Inc. of New Hampshire and three chapters of End 68 Hours of Hunger. The winner claimed the $559.7 million prize—the sixth-largest Powerball jackpot in history—through the Good Karma Family 2018 Nominee Trust facilitated by the law firm of Shaheen & Gordon, P.A with William Shaheen serving as trustee. Shaheen made the donation announcement today during a press conference at New Hampshire Lottery Headquarters in Concord alongside the nonprofit organizations.
The winner had two options, taking a lump-sum cash payment of approximately $352 million or an annuity payment over 30 years. The winner opted for the one-time cash payment, which netted her $264 million, after federal taxes were withheld.
The winning Powerball ticket was sold at Reed’s Ferry Market in Merrimack for the January 6 drawing. This winner marks the 11th Powerball jackpot winner in New Hampshire history. Most recently in the summer of 2016, a New Hampshire player won a $487 million winning Powerball ticket purchased at the Hannaford Supermarket in Raymond.
“The New Hampshire Lottery is excited to award yet another Powerball jackpot to some very fortunate Granite State residents,” said Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery. “While we don’t know the winner’s identity, we do know that her heart is in the right place. These substantial donations are an indication of her generosity and they will make a significant difference in the lives of many throughout our community.”
“On behalf of the Good Karma Family 2018 Nominee Trust, we are pleased to accept this Powerball prize,” said William Shaheen of Shaheen & Gordon. “We recognize the tremendous interest this prize has generated but hope you appreciate our client’s desire to maintain a sense of normalcy by keeping her name confidential. What little I can say, is that she and her family have had a longstanding commitment to their community and are thrilled to be able to enhance their impact through targeted philanthropy for generations to come.”
With representatives from each nonprofit on hand at the press conference, the Good Karma Family 2018 Nominee Trust presented the following donations:
- $150,000 – Girls Inc. of New Hampshire
- $33,000 – End 68 Hours of Hunger – Nashua
- $33,000 – End 68 Hours of Hunger – Dover
- $33,000 – End 68 Hours of Hunger – Derry
“Today’s announcement from our lucky winner marks a historic moment for the New Hampshire Lottery, as we award our largest prize in our 54-year history. As the first lottery in the country, that is certainly saying something,” said Debra Douglas, chairman of the New Hampshire Lottery Commission. “This is truly a life-altering prize and it is incredibly gratifying to learn of the winner’s plans to make such an amazing impact on our nonprofit community here in New Hampshire. We are tremendously happy for our winner and we wish her and her family all the best.”
The Powerball drawing results from January 6 were: 12-29-30-33-61 PB-26 with a Power Play of 3.
Powerball tickets are on sale at more than 1,250 retailers in New Hampshire. Powerball tickets cost $2 per play. Drawings are held Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 PM.