It Could Have Been Anyone, But It Was Mavis Wanczyk

If you haven’t heard the name of Mavis L. Wanczyk lately, you’re either living under a rock or you have no interest in lotteries whatsoever. The former hospital worker claimed a massive US Powerball jackpot in late August 2017 – she quickly became 758.7 million dollars richer (well, not exactly, but we’ll tell you a bit more about the calculations later). The 53-year-old is the holder of the largest grand prize won by a single person in the history of US lotteries.

Quickly after the win, Mavis has garnered a lot of media attention because of her decision to come forward immediately. If you do a quick search about her name, you’ll see about 160,000 Google results pop up. In essence, Mavis became an overnight sensation. Ever since she won, a couple of important facts have surfaced. Here are a few of the top things you need to know about her.

The Lucky Numbers

Mavis bought her winning ticket at the Pride Station and Store in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The mother of two chose the winning numbers on the basis of important family dates. The set that made her the luckiest woman in America was 6, 7, 16, 23, 26 and a Powerball number of 4. She chose the 4 because it was her lucky Keno number.

The woman who quickly quit her hospital job found out that she’d become a millionaire while leaving work with a colleague. Her coworker was reading the numbers while she was looking at her ticket. It turned out that Mavis had matched every single digit drawn. Regardless of the fact that she was holding the ticket in her hand, it still took a lot of time for the news to sink in.

Mavis chose a lump sum payment almost immediately. This way, she’ll be entitled to 480 million dollars. The sum will be reduced to 336 million dollars through the application of taxes.

She isn’t the only one who has gotten lucky. The store that sold her the winning Powerball ticket is going to receive a commission of 50,000 dollars. It’s interesting to point out that this is the fourth store in Massachusetts to sell a jackpot winning ticket.

Massive Taxes

You’ve probably made the calculation already, but the newest lottery millionaire in the US is going to have to pay a spectacular tax on the amount before claiming.

The federal tax withholding is 120 million dollars and Massachusetts will take about 24 million dollars in local taxes. These are the sums that have been withheld in advance. According to experts, the final tax burden on the winner is going to be even more serious than that.

Early Retirement Dream Comes True

As soon as she found out that she was the biggest millionaire in Powerball history, Mavis called the hospital where she worked to say that she’s quitting.

It was a dream of hers to retire early. Immediately after winning the massive prize, she said that she was going to take some time off and relax. Eventually, Mavis made the final decision to quit her job altogether.

Before retiring, Mavis had worked at Mercy Medical Center for 32 years.

Safety Concerns and Creative Scammers

Some believe that Mavis Wanczyk made a huge mistake by immediately coming forward and claiming the cash lump sum. A decision made at a time when a person is overwhelmed with positive emotions could be detrimental to their wellbeing.

Concerns about her safety have been expressed. The police had to send a patrol over to her house and officers have even parked in the driveway to keep the brand new millionaire safe.

The officers also spoke to neighbors and requested reports about anything suspicious. There have been both media representatives and random individuals requesting information about the exact address at which Mavis lives.

Scammers have jumped on board quickly, as well. A number of people have already received letters “on behalf of” Mavis Wanczyk. These letters have asked for personal information and some gullible individuals have already fallen into the trap.

Richer than Leonardo DiCaprio and Mick Jagger

The net worth that Mavis amassed instantaneously makes her richer than some of the most popular Hollywood celebrities. Regardless of the fact that the sum was reduced drastically by the decision to opt for a lump sum, it still makes the former hospital worker one of the richest people in the US.

According to a report by TMZ, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger currently has a net worth estimated at 305 million dollars. Leonardo DiCaprio’s net worth is estimated at 245 million dollars.

A few other quite popular people that Mavis happens to be richer than include Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian and even Johnny Depp, whose net worth is currently estimated at 200 million dollars.

A Costly Mistake

There was a simple administrative mistake that occurred at Powerball pertaining to the fall of the biggest jackpot to be claimed by a single winner.

Originally, it was announced that the winning ticket was sold at a convenience store in Watertown. Needless to say, the owner of the store was ecstatic about the fact that somebody had taken the biggest single jackpot in Powerball history and that she would be receiving a nice financial compensation for the fact.

Eventually, the owner was interviewed and she said that despite some disappointment, she was still happy for Mavis Wanczyk’s win.

Powerball issued an apology and reported that the store had sold one of the two tickets that resulted in a million dollar prize. Because of the earlier mixup, media representatives had been cramped in front of the store ever since the original announcement was made.

The owners of the Watertown store will still get a commission for the million-dollar ticket that they sold. The sum is going to be 10,000 dollars instead of the 50,000 bonus handed to the owner of the store that sold the jackpot-winning ticket.

Eight years ago, the store had sold another ticket that resulted in a Powerball prize of one million dollars.