Owner Of Store That Sold $447.8 Million Powerball Ticket Gets $1 Million

MENIFEE (CBSLA.com) — A liquor store in Riverside County received a $1 million check Monday for selling a winning Powerball ticket worth $447.8 million.

Lottery Director Hugo Lopez presented the check to Albeir Alberre, 64, owner of Marietta Liquor & Deli at 27985 Bradley Road in Menifee.

The ticket holder will have the option of taking a lump sum cash payment of $279.1 million or a years-long disbursement of the full amount, taxed at the federal rate of 25 percent, according to the California Lottery.

Whoever bought the winning ticket has not come forward but has a full year from the date of the draw to claim the big prize.

"It could be someone stopping by to get a ticket or someone local, who plays all the time. We have no idea. But either way, we're really happy for them," said Matthew Alberee, whose family has owned the store for 27 years.

"It's an incredible, incredible feeling to be part of this," he told reporters. "Even though my family won this Powerball, we feel like we won it with the community as a whole with all of Sun City. Because we're all family here. All the customers, everybody that comes to the store, we know them by name, and we feel as if all of Sun City won, not just our family."

For the Alberre family, the $1 million bonus is particularly welcome. Albeir Alberre has been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, which has led to some mounting medical bills. One of his sons, Fadi, is hearing-impaired. The family said they hope to use some of the money to help the deaf community.

The family business has previous sold two winning tickets that were worth more than $1 million each.

According to lottery officials, the $447.8 million jackpot is the seventh-largest in Powerball history and the 10th largest in U.S. lottery history.

The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were 20, 26, 32, 38, 58 and the Powerball number 3.