Green Bay-area husband, wife claim $316 million Powerball jackpot
A couple from Oneida near Green Bay have claimed the $316.3 million winning Powerball ticket sold earlier this year in Ashwaubenon and will net over $150 million after taxes.
Tammy and Cliff Webster opted to take the cash option of $225.1 million rather than annual payments, according to Wisconsin Lottery. After federal taxes of $54 million and state taxes of $17.2 million, their final take home amount is $153.9 million.
The ticket had the winning numbers of 6, 14, 25, 33, 46, Powerball 17 from the Jan. 5 draw.
The Websters split the $632.6 million jackpot with another winner who bought a ticket in California. The jackpot was the seventh largest in Powerball history.
The couple said they were initially doubtful when they heard early the morning of Jan. 6 that the winning tickets had been sold.
"The news said that they had two winners, and I felt all sad," Tammy Webster said in a video interview Wisconsin Lottery posted on YouTube. "Then they said one in California and one in Wisconsin."
That didn't give her husband much more hope.
"I was mumbling all the way to the kitchen table. I'm like, 'You know how many people play in Wisconsin? What's the odds of us winning."
Then he checked the numbers, one at a time, until he uncovered the Powerball number with his thumb.
"I couldn't believe it," Cliff Webster said in the video. "You don't know what to do. It's 4:30 in the morning and we're yelling and hugging."
Both are members of the Oneida Nation.
Tehassi Hill, chairman of the Oneida Nation, said Cliff Webster had worked in the tribe's security department, which is primarily for the casinos but includes other properties.
"Everybody here is happy to hear that the winners are from Oneida," Hill said. "It's always good when this happens to someone who's worked hard their entire lives. We wish them continued good luck as they figure out this new part of their lives."
Jackson Pointe Citgo, 2710 Packerland Drive, received a $100,000 incentive for selling the winning ticket.
The other winning ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Sacramento, according to the California Lottery. No California winner has been publicly announced.
Wisconsin has had 19 Powerball jackpot wins since the game debuted in 1992, fourth among participating states.
Contact Mark Treinen at mtreinen@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MarkTreinen, Instagram at @mark_treinen or Facebook at @Mark Treinen.