Associated Press

David Edwards, right, talks with well-wishers yesterday in front of the Westwood, Ky. store where he bought one of the four winning Powerball tickets. Edwards, who had just been laid off from his job, will receive $73.7 million, or $2.9 million per year for 25 years if he takes the annuity. The cash option is good for $41.4 million, before taxes. Edwards said he hasn't decided what to do with his winnings.

Monday August 27, 2001 |

ROLLINSFORD, N.H. - The numbers are in, and the $294.8 million Powerball lottery jackpot will be split four ways - whenever the winners decide to step forward.

Winning tickets for Saturday night's drawing were sold in New Hampshire, Delaware, Kentucky and Minnesota.

One of the tickets was sold at the Cumberland Farms store in Rollinsford, where it was business as usual yesterday.

New Hampshire Sweepstakes spokeswoman Maura McCann said she wasn't surprised the state's winner hadn't come forward yet.

"They probably haven't even checked their ticket yet," said McCann.

McCann urged the ticket holder or holders to be cautious. "I would think that they would want to wait a little ... and seek legal advice first and seek financial advice first," she said.

Rollinsford, a town with a population under 3,000 people, is on the Maine-New Hampshire state line and many tickets undoubtedly were sold to people who live in Maine, which doesn't have Powerball.

The winning numbers drawn Saturday night in Des Moines, Iowa, were 8-17-22-42-47 plus the Powerball number of 21. Each winning ticket is worth $73.7 million, or $2.9 million per year for 25 years if the winner or winners take the annuity. The cash option is good for $41.4 million. All of the figures are before taxes.

The jackpot for the game, played in 21 states and the District of Columbia, was the second-highest in Powerball history. A group of factory workers in Ohio split a $295.7 million prize in 1998.

The richest lottery prize in U.S. history was $363 million in the Big Game jackpot, won last year by two players in Illinois and Michigan.

One of Saturday's winning tickets was sold in the Ashland, Ky., area, according to Kentucky lottery officials. The retailer won't be identified until Monday, lottery spokesman Rick Redman said.

Delaware State Lottery officials also didn't plan to say until Monday where that state's winning ticket was sold. And then, state law allows the winner or winners to remain anonymous.

"Quite frankly, we have had four other Powerball jackpot winners in Delaware, and also multiple winners in our local lottery, and we've never been able to release someone's name," lottery director Wayne Lemons said yesterday.

Minnesota Lottery officials won't say where their winner was sold until the owner is verified.

That shouldn't take very long, said Minnesota Lottery research director Don Feeney. "People can't wait to get that ticket out of their hands," he said yesterday.

Cumberland Farms store manager Deane Palmer said tickets sold like hotcakes Friday and Saturday.

"People were buying tickets for relatives in New York last night," he said.

Lottery officials said the Rollinsford store sold $30,000 in Powerball tickets since Thursday, compared to average sales for an entire week of only about $1,500.

McCann said all of New Hampshire usually sells $500,000 to $600,000 worth of Powerball tickets in a week - but last week's total was $11 million.

The Cumberland Farms chain, based in Canton, Mass., will get $30,000 for selling a winning ticket.

The odds of winning the Powerball are one in 80 million.