02-23-2006, 01:35 PM
Far out
Eight share $365m US lottery win
![[Image: _41351318_ap_lottery203.jpg]](http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/41351000/jpg/_41351318_ap_lottery203.jpg)
Sales of lottery tickets reached fever pitch ahead of the draw
Eight lottery players in the US have shared $365m (£210m) jackpot - the biggest win in the game's history. The seven men and a woman, who work at a meat plant in Nebraska, will each get $15.5m (£8.9m) after taxes as they chose to take the money in a lump sum.
They won Saturday's Powerball lottery on a single ticket in Lincoln. Wild rumours had been gripping the town until the winners came forward.
The previous record was $363m (£208m), shared between two tickets in 2000.
Lottery fever
"I didn't know what to think. I still don't know what to think," Robert Stewart, one of the eight winners, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
The other winners were named as Quang Dao, David Gehle, Alain Maboussou, Chasity Rutjens, Michael Terpstra, Dung Tran and Eric Zornes.
The winning ticket was bought at a shop on Saturday, but no-one came forward to claim it until Wednesday.
That led to three days of wild speculation and media activity in the town. Even the shop's security cameras were studied to try to spot the winner.
The winners had the option of taking the money in one lump sum or instalments over 30 years. They chose the cash option.
The Powerball lottery is played in 28 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4740982.stm
Eight share $365m US lottery win
Sales of lottery tickets reached fever pitch ahead of the drawEight lottery players in the US have shared $365m (£210m) jackpot - the biggest win in the game's history. The seven men and a woman, who work at a meat plant in Nebraska, will each get $15.5m (£8.9m) after taxes as they chose to take the money in a lump sum.
They won Saturday's Powerball lottery on a single ticket in Lincoln. Wild rumours had been gripping the town until the winners came forward.
The previous record was $363m (£208m), shared between two tickets in 2000.
Lottery fever
"I didn't know what to think. I still don't know what to think," Robert Stewart, one of the eight winners, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency.
The other winners were named as Quang Dao, David Gehle, Alain Maboussou, Chasity Rutjens, Michael Terpstra, Dung Tran and Eric Zornes.
The winning ticket was bought at a shop on Saturday, but no-one came forward to claim it until Wednesday.
That led to three days of wild speculation and media activity in the town. Even the shop's security cameras were studied to try to spot the winner.
The winners had the option of taking the money in one lump sum or instalments over 30 years. They chose the cash option.
The Powerball lottery is played in 28 states plus the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4740982.stm