84-Year-Old Woman Claims Powerball Jackpot

By Krishnadev Calamur / NPR

Published June 5, 2013 at 2:02 PM PDT

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

Powerball winner Gloria C. Mackenzie, 84, leaves the lottery office escorted by her son, Scott (right), after claiming a single lump-sum payment of just over $370 million before taxes on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla. Officials say she is the largest sole lottery winner in U.S. history.

Powerball winner Gloria C. Mackenzie, 84, leaves the lottery office escorted by her son Scott Mackenzie, right, after claiming a single lump-sum payment of about $370.9 million before taxes on Wednesday in Tallahassee, Fla. Officials say she is the largest sole lottery winner in U.S. history.

The question of who won the record $590 million Powerball jackpot was answered Thursday when an 84-year-old woman came forward to collect the money.

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Gloria C. MacKenzie opted to take the prize in a lump sum of just over $370 million. After taxes, she'll take home $270 million. The retiree from Maine is a mother of four. The Associated Press reports that she lives in a modest tin-roof house in Zephyrhills, Fla., "where the lone winning ticket in the May 18 drawing was sold." Here's more:

"MacKenzie bought the winning ticket at a Publix supermarket in the town of about 13,300 people 30 miles northeast of Tampa. It is best known for the bottled spring water that bears its name -- and now, for one of the biggest lottery winners of all time.

"The $590 million was the second-largest lottery jackpot in history, behind a $656 million Mega Millions prize in March 2012, but that sum was split, with three winning tickets."

"While in line at Publix, another lottery player was kind enough to let me go ahead of them in line to purchase the winning Quick Pick ticket," MacKenzie said in a statement provided to the Florida Lottery. She added that prior to the drawing, she and her son Scott had agreed to split any proceeds.