A lucky Arkansas resident recently won the second-highest Powerball jackpot in history, and nearly 10 years ago, two Tennessee residents won one of Powerball’s record-breaking jackpots.
The $1.817 billion jackpot, with a cash prize of $834.9 million, was won on Dec. 24, just months after the $1.787 billion grand prize in September.
The win comes nearly 10 years after two lucky residents of neighboring Tennessee hit the record-breaking jackpot on Jan. 13, 2016, and claimed their prize on the “TODAY” show before heading to the state lottery office in Nashville.
Here’s what to know about the historic $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot and how one couple spent their prize money.
Who won the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot on January 13, 2016?
On January 11, 2016, Powerball broke a record when its jackpot reached $1.4 billion after no winner matched the number in the January 9 drawing of $949 million. Two days later, on January 13, three tickets matched all six numbers to win a historic $1.586 billion.
The jackpot started at $40 million on November 4, 2015, and was rolled around 30 times before being won on January 13, 2016. Grand prizes were claimed by Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, and Melne Beech and David Smith of Florida and Calbo Smith of Florida.
The winning numbers were 4-8-19-27-34, and the Powerball was 10.
Did something strange happen to the $1.586 billion Powerball?
John Robinson and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, along with their daughter Tiffany and their dog Abby, attended a lottery news conference to claim their share of the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot from January 13, 2016. The grand prize was split three ways, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of California.
The historic Powerball drawing of $1.586 billion took place on January 13, 2016. Shortly after, lottery officials announced that three tickets from different states would share the prize. On Jan. 15, John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, appeared on NBC’s “TODAY” show with Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly to claim their winnings before going to a Tennessee Lottery office. In Tennessee, big prize winners must present themselves at lottery headquarters within 180 days.
Robinson decided to reach out to “TODAY” to share his story while maintaining some privacy. Their attorney, Joe Townsend, advised them to go on national television before presenting the lottery ticket to authorities to help control the narrative. He and his daughter, Elaine, joined Robinson on the show.
During the interview, the authenticity of the winning ticket was doubted.
Why appeared on the ‘Today’ show with Tennessee Powerball winners Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly?
In the segment, Guthrie introduced the Robinsons as the lucky couple who claimed to have the winning ticket.
“Can we see that ticket? Keeping it nice and close to your heart,” she asks as John Robinson pulls a ticket from his shirt pocket.
John Robinson and Lisa Robinson appear on NBC’s “Today” show, Friday, Jan. 15, 2016, in Nashville, Tennessee, before heading to a Tennessee Lottery office to claim their share of the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot. The Robinsons were one of three couples who won the drawing: Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida claimed their share of the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in Tallahassee on February 17, 2016, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of California claimed their share.
Guthrie noted that the Robinsons could not be officially verified as lottery winners because they had not visited their state’s lottery headquarters. Although the producers confirmed their backgrounds, Guthrie stressed that “it’s not official yet.”
He then asked the couple: “Why is ‘Today’ shown first?”
John Robinson then pointed to his lawyer, Joe Townsend.
“I think the American people want to hear from them, and even though they want it to be private when it’s over, they want to, you know, let the public know they’re the winners,” Townsend replied.
Guthrie repeated several times in the interview that Robinson approached the “Today” show: “It’s interesting how you found us, we didn’t find you, you found us.”
3 tickets won the $1.586 billion Powerball. Who first claimed the lottery jackpot?
John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, claimed their share of the record $1.586 billion jackpot two days after the picture appeared on the “Today” show. Accompanied by their daughter, Tiffany, and rescue dog, Abby, they requested privacy during a press conference at Tennessee Lottery headquarters on January 15, 2016, saying they were “normal small-town people.”
John and Lisa Robinson posed with a $528.8 million check from the Tennessee Lottery, but opted for a lump sum payment of more than $327 million before taxes. They received a few million dollars immediately and were set to receive the rest ten days later.
Where did Tennessee Robinson buy his winning Powerball ticket?
Tennessee Lottery CEO Rebecca Hargrove hugs Dana Naifeh, right, owner of Naifeh’s Food Market in Munford, Tennessee. Hargrove presented Naifeh with a $25,000 check for being the store that sold one of the three winning Powerball tickets. Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida claimed their share of the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot on February 17, 2016 in Tallahassee. The grand prize was split three ways, John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, and Marvin and Marvin and Mystar of California.
Initially, the name of the store that sold the winning ticket was announced before the winning couple came forward. Naifeh’s Food Market, a Tipton County grocer north of Memphis, sold a third of the record-setting $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.
Because Naifeh sold the winning ticket, the store was awarded a $25,000 bonus check as a retailer commission. Naifeh, the family that owns and operates the store, said they will share some of the $25,000 bonus with the store’s 50 employees.
During the same winning cycle, the Tennessee Lottery said there was one $2 million winner, one $100,000 winner and 17 $50,000 winners in Dyersburg, but did not release any information about where those tickets were sold.
How did the Tennessee couple spend their share of the $1.586 million Powerball winnings?
Lisa Robinson, a dermatologist’s office worker, informed her supervisor that she would not be coming in on Jan. 15 and suggested watching the “TODAY” show on NBC. She also said that she and her husband have no plans to quit their jobs.
When asked why they planned to continue working, Lisa quickly said, “Why not!” Commercial appeal reported.
Her husband added, “All we’ve done all our lives is work. You can’t just sit and sleep and do nothing. How long is that going to last?”
The couple said their priority is paying off their daughter’s student loans, home loan and many other bills. They also want to splurge on family members.
According to a 2019 story by Fox 13 Memphis, a tax assessor confirmed that the Robinsons “purchased a 10-bedroom home on 320 acres with a private lake. The property cost them $6.2 million, and it includes great views of rural Tennessee, according to a private home theater listing, among eight homes in Tru’s home listing.” Fox 13 reported that Robinson “severed ties with lawyers who encouraged them to flaunt their earnings in the public eye soon after collecting the checks.”
Jordan Green covers trending news for Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at jordan.green@commercialappeal.com.
This article originally appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal: After Winning $1.586B Powerball, Tennessee Couple Surprises Everyone
