Lottery officials announced December 7 that a man in his 30s from a Phoenix suburb has claimed his half of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot. The man had decided to remain anonymous for the Arizona Lottery’s announcement, but a public records request filed by AP revealed his name as Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, Arizona.

After Good and his wife learned of their happy fortune, the man pulled together a team of financial advisers and took the cash option of $192 million before taxes. Lottery official Karen Bach said that Good is smart and wants to take time to make a solid financial plan and set up a charitable entity to aid causes that he and his wife support. 

Bach said that Good enjoys his job and has no immediate plans to quit.

Before release of his name, Good issued a statement saying: It is difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift. We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been incredibly overwhelming and we have always cherished our privacy.” 

Before the November 28 drawing, the Powerball jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without any winners. The jackpot was the second largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 per minute.

(Source: Paul Davenport and Mark Scolforo, Associated Press, as reported in newser)