Powerball Jackpot Remains Unclaimed

HALIFAX, N.C. — It's the great mystery of Halifax County: Who bought a winning Powerball ticket more than three weeks ago?

No one has come forward to claim the $74.5 million Powerball prize.

Rumors have been flying about the winner's identity, leaving some to think it is a woman who lives in the area.

"I just don't think she wants the publicity," said Brenda Shelton, manager of Shell Travel World in Halifax, where the winning ticket was sold.

Another popular theory is that the winner is waiting until the beginning of the year, when a new law takes effect that would give him or her a bigger tax break on the winnings.

As the Halifax community waits for the winner to step forward to claim the jackpot, business at the Shell station has increased, Shelton said.

"The business has increased. Ticket (sales) have increased," she said.

The winning numbers were 2, 8, 9, 12 and 19, and the Powerball was 25. The odds of winning the jackpot were 1 in 146 million.

The winner has 180 days from the date of the drawing to claim it at the lottery headquarters in Raleigh. He or she can receive the winnings in 30 annual payments or in a lump sum of about $36 million.