WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Lottery authority in the U.S. state of Tennessee verified Friday that a couple from the small town of Munford had claimed one third of the world-record 1.6-billion-U.S.-dollar Powerball jackpot.
Tennessee Lottery executive Rebecca Hargrove made the announcement after John Robinson appeared earlier in a TV program in New York with his wife Lisa to claim that they held one of the winning tickets for the jackpot.
After the TV interview, the couple then returned to Nashville, Tennessee to claim the money, becoming the first of three winners to do so.
Two other winning tickets, which were sold in Melbourne Beach, Florida, and Chino Hills, California, were not claimed yet. The winners each overcame odds of 1 in 292.2 million to match all the winning numbers.
John Robinson said he bought the winning ticket late Wednesday at the family-owned Naifeh's grocery on his way home from work as requested by his wife, though he was not feeling well that time.
Robinson said he bought four quick-pick tickets, one for each family member, and went to lie down when he got home. Her wife stayed up to watch the lottery drawing at night and learned that they won the jackpot after carefully checking the numbers for several times.
Each of the winners can choose to collect 30 annual payments totaling an estimated 533 million dollars, or take their third of about 327.8 million dollars in cash at once.
Robinson, who works in information technology, said he would take the lump sum.
The couple, who have a son and daughter, decided to appear on TV first before claiming the jackpot, on the advice of their lawyer. They quickly assembled a team of lawyers and financial planners.
Talking about their future plans after suddenly becoming super rich, Robinson said earlier on the NBC's "Today" show that his family would help certain friends, give money to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, and donate to their church.
Their daughter Tiffany, a recent college graduate, wanted to pay off her student loans and buy a horse.
But Lisa, who works at a local dermatologist's office, is not ready to quit her job yet. In a phone call to her boss, Lisa said she would appear for work on Monday.
