'It Feels Like A Dream': Wisconsin Man Wins $768.4M Powerball Jackpot
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There is a new millionaire living across the border.
Wisconsin resident Manuel Franco, 24, is the winner of the third-largest Powerball jackpot in United States history.
"And I see that second number and my heart starts to pump and whatnot, and at that moment I'm like, 'No frickin' way,' you know," Franco said.
He claimed the $768.4 million jackpot Tuesday. He lives in West Allis, which is near Milwaukee, but he bought the winning ticket from a gas station in New Berlin last month.
He has chosen to take the lump sum of $477 million. The rest will go to taxes.
Franco says he's been buying lottery tickets for years, so this is a dream come true.
"It's amazing. It feels like a dream. And, it feels honestly like any moment I'm going to wake up and I'm just going to be back in my room, laying on my bed, and it's going to be a disappointment," he said. "But I can see you guys are all here and it's not that way. I just simply can't believe that an ordinary guy like me could ever win the Powerball."