When three Michigan friends meet for regular breakfast and play Powerball, they become another fun Powerball winner story to inspire your gameplay.
Three friends in Michigan regularly meet for breakfast and call themselves The Breakfast Club. But this club isn’t just bacon and eggs. It’s a Powerball-playing trio, too! When the jackpot gets huge, that’s when these three pals pitch in and buy their Powerball tickets. And this ritual paid off big when this group hit all the numbers. Keep reading to find out more about this lucky group and their Powerball winner story!
These three friends meet for breakfast frequently, and they also watch the Powerball jackpot amount grow. Once it jumps to hundreds of millions of dollars, they pool their resources and buy tickets. One of the group’s members, Mark, is an attorney and was the group’s pick to represent The Breakfast Club should they win big. The trio also agreed that they’d split the money three ways if they were to hit the jackpot prize. When Mark realized the group held the winning Powerball ticket and got all five numbers plus the Powerball match, he couldn’t believe his eyes. But the group had hit the Powerball jackpot, and its size is one for the history books: $842 million.
All Powerball winners have the option of taking their prize money as a lump sum or with an annuity payout. A lump-sum payment is immediately paid out, minus taxes, but an annuity is paid out over time. The trio decided on a lump-sum payout. Once taxes were deducted, the final payout was a cool $305 million, a little over $100 million for each of them!
The group purchased their Powerball tickets at Food Castle, a local supermarket. Because the winning ticket was purchased at this Powerball retail outlet, the store is also a winner, getting $50,000 just for selling that ticket! The store owner stated he plans on giving every penny back in bonuses to the store’s employees.
All three of these Powerball winners have carefully planned for retirement, which is still several years away. However, they now realize that with this big Powerball win, they won’t have to wait to retire. With this newfound wealth, they are planning early retirements, donating to several non-profits in the area, and helping family members financially. The group is also considering travel plans, home renovations, and new vehicles. The group agrees that there is no longer a time stamp on their plans, and they now have the freedom to act on things they’ve put off due to financial constraints.
This $842 million Powerball jackpot is the largest in the history of the state of Michigan, making The Breakfast Club part of that history. They have become local celebrities. The last Michigan Powerball win was in 2020 and totaled $70 million. Suzanna Shkreli, the Lottery Commissioner, was quoted as saying, “Big jackpots are good news,” and she meant everyone. Not only did The Breakfast Club win the Powerball jackpot and the retailer the bonus, but more than $1 billion in proceeds have directly benefited Michigan schools over the previous five years.
The Breakfast Club is a perfect example of strength in numbers when it comes to Powerball play! Playing in groups is a popular and fun way to increase your chances of being a Powerball winner via more tickets purchased. With a group effort, players can choose their numbers or let the computer pick them, also known as Quick Pick. However you and your friends choose to play, play responsibly. And remember, you can’t win if you don’t play!