Sleepless nights after winning $842.4 million New Year’s lottery

A Michigan couple and their lawyer can call themselves the proud winners of an astronomical Powerball jackpot! After months of secrecy, it is now finally known who the lucky winners are of the $842.4 million won in a New Year’s slot.

“The Breakfast Club” wins gold

The winning lottery club, which calls itself “The Breakfast Club”, opted to have the jackpot paid out in one go. This earned them $305 million after taxes, Michigan Lottery Commissioner Suzanna Shkreli said at a news conference outside the Food Castle supermarket in Grand Blanc Township, near Flint.

The winning numbers were: 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and the red Powerball: 1.

From a state of shock to dream life

Attorney Mark Harder spoke on behalf of “The Breakfast Club” and revealed that the mid-year couple had been “delighted and overwhelmed, excited and nervous” since discovering their ticket was the winning one.

“They have gone from shock and sleepless nights to carefully considering how this once-in-a-lifetime event will transform their lives.”

Mark Harder

In a statement read by Harder, the winners said the award will positively impact their families for generations.

“Until now we have lived a comfortable life and thought we would retire one day,” the statement read. “Now we are not financially tied to a specific schedule. The world and our possibilities have opened up in incredible ways.”

Work, travel and sharing 

Harder said the man plans to continue working for a while. The couple also expects to travel more and possibly buy a home in Florida if Michigan winters “get too chilly.”

Furthermore, the plan is to share the profits with their immediate family and donate to charities. It has not been announced what Harder will do with his own share of the profits.

Happiness at Food Castle

The Food Castle supermarket will receive a $50,000 commission for the sale of the winning ticket. The store’s owners said they would share the entire amount with their employees and donate it to food banks and other charities.

The announcement of the winners comes just months after the April drawing of a $1.3 billion Powerball jackpot, which was won in Oregon.