Powerball Jackpot Grows to $1.3 Billion, 3 $1M Winning Tickets Sold in New York

The winning numbers in Saturday’s $949.8 million Powerball drawing have been revealed. Here they are: 16, 19, 32, 34, 57 and Powerball number 13. The Power Play multiplier was 3.

Sorry, you did not win the big jackpot. In fact, no one did, meaning Wednesday’s jackpot will soar to $1.3 billion.

But three people in New York, including two who bought their tickets on Long Island and in Queens, will claim $1 million prizes for matching five numbers and missing just the Powerball number. Here is where those $1 million tickets were sold:

• Mr. Tobacco, 17 Singer Lane, Smithtown, Suffolk County
• Chef Hong Inc., 56-31 Metropolitan Ave., Ridgewood, Queens
• Stewart’s Shops, 2391 Route 9, Valatie, Columbia County

“History continues to be made with this massive jackpot,” said Gardner Gurney, director of the division of the New York Lottery. ”Three lucky New Yorkers are $1 million richer as the excitement spreads across the country.”

Wednesday’s $1.3 billion jackpot will be nearly double a 2012 Mega Millions jackpot of $656 million that had been the record for the largest lotto jackpot in U.S. history. Wednesday’s drawing will take place at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. New Yorkers can watch the drawing live on WABC.

So what should you do if you win the lottery? Alexa von Tobel, CEO of the online financial planning website LearnVest, offered a few tips to Patch from a financial planning standpoint.

Sign the ticket: The most important step ensures you claim the ticket as your own.

Maintain anonymity: In many states, von Tobel says, you have a whole year to claim the prize.

“If you let your name be released to the public record, a swarm of people will almost immediately descend on you, legitimate and not, trying to make a grab for your business,” she said.

“Some past lottery winners have even felt the need for police escorts, have received threats and have been tempted to run away or leave their hometowns because of the sheer number of people who “want a piece of them.”

Assemble a financial planning team: “You must decide whether including whether to take a lump sum or an annuity,” she said. “There are many pros and cons to weigh: including estate taxes, how much money you’ll ultimately make, whether you’ll be able to handle it all at once, etc.”

Wait six months before making any major decisions: “It’s all too easy to blow through those millions,” von Tobel said. “In fact, according to a 2015 study by the Camelot Group, 44 percent of winners spend their entire winnings within five years.”