Man's frank admission after scooping $1billion lottery jackpot
The winner of a gargantuan billion-dollar lottery jackpot has revealed he won’t be handing out his winnings to those who come calling.
Manuel Franco, 24, claimed the staggering US$768million ($1.008 billion) Powerball jackpot – the third largest in US history.
“I’m ready and I know how to say no,” he told reporters at a press conference in reference to friends and family who ask for a cut of his money.
Due to Wisconsin law, he was unable to remain anonymous.
He revealed he was “feeling lucky” on March 27 when he purchased the ticket in Milwaukee for that night’s draw.
Despite buying $10 worth of tickets, he failed to watch the draw and went into work the next day none the wiser about his windfall.
It was only until he heard the winning ticket was from Milwaukee, he checked his tickets.
The winning ticket nearly evaded him, only noticing it stuck to another ticket after checking all his other unsuccessful draws.
When he matched all the numbers, he said he was “going insane”.
“My heart started racing, my blood started pumping, I felt warm. I started screaming,” he said.
After discovering his win, he decided to quit his job two days later.
Mr Franco says he plans to be wise about spending his new wealth and wants “to help out the world.”
While a $768 million annuity prize paid over 29 years was available, he decided to opt for a one-off cash payment of $447m (A$668m).
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