The amazing real photo of $258 million Powerball lottery winner caught on camera trying to cash in his ticket
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Watching a lottery winner discover they have won a gigantic Powerball lottery jackpot is a once-in-a-lifetime event rarely caught on camera.
But as staff from the winning Break Time Missouri store were putting up the "Winning Powerball Ticket Sold Here" sign outside on a billboard, the actual $258 Million Powerball winner himself turned up with the ticket.
The staff couldn't believe their eyes when they saw it was a staff member who had bought the ticket there.
Winner Chris Shaw, from central Missouri, was the winner of a staggering $258 million Powerball jackpot in 2010.
With just $28.96 in his bank account and a pile of unpaid bills waiting at home, Shaw's win is nothing short of a fairy tale come to life.
At 29 years old, Shaw's immediate plans for his windfall are refreshingly modest. Top of the list is paying back a friend the $1,000 he owes for a recently purchased truck, followed by catching up on overdue utility bills.
But it's not all about settling debts. Shaw also dreams of dental work to replace his two missing front teeth and a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida for his three children and his girlfriend's two kids.
"We didn't come from money," Shaw shares, his relief palpable. "It's going to be a huge relief to know I can pay my electric bill, my gas bill. It's like a weight lifted. I had bills at home I didn't know how they were going to be paid."
Shaw's journey to the jackpot began at the Break Time convenience store in Marshall, where he works, located about 80 miles east of Kansas City.
It was there, just three weeks into his job, that he purchased the $5 Powerball ticket alongside some cigarettes and a soda at the end of his shift on Wednesday.
Laughing, Shaw recalls the day's light-hearted banter about winning, "We had been kidding each other all day about winning it, but no one actually thinks they will win."
The winning numbers were 11-34-41-49-55 and Powerball 20. The Power Play number was 2.
Faced with the monumental decision of opting for 30 annual payments over 29 years or a lump sum of $124,875,122, Shaw admits he needs time to consult with financial experts before making a choice.
Similarly, he's undecided about continuing in his minimum-wage job, saying, "I need a few days" to think it over.
Shaw, a father to a 10-year-old son, a 7-year-old daughter, and a 5-year-old girl, isn't a stranger to lottery tickets, having previously won up to $80 on Missouri scratchers.
The confirmation of his win came only after his girlfriend, Tosha Ewry, informed him that the winning ticket was sold at his workplace.
For Shaw, the winnings transform his life from living paycheck to paycheck to a reality where his financial worries are a thing of the past.
"That amount of money to me is like a fairy tale," he says, unable to contain his excitement. "I'm just a regular guy working paycheck to paycheck... well not anymore."
