Wisconsin man, 24, Wins $768M Powerball Jackpot

MADISON, Wis. – A 24-year-old suburban Milwaukee man says he screamed for about 5 or 10 minutes after realizing he won a $768 million Powerball jackpot – the third largest in U.S. lottery history.

Manuel Franco, of West Allis, came forward at a news conference Tuesday in Madison, where Wisconsin’s lottery is headquartered. Franco said his heart started racing when he realized one of the 10 individual tickets he bought a Powerball drawing last month was a winner.

Franco says he quit his job a couple days later but declined to say where he worked.

Franco says he plans to be wise about spending his new wealth and wants “to help out the world.”

He says he chose the cash option lump sum of $477 million.

Two Republican lawmakers are now introducing a bill that would allow lottery winners in Wisconsin to remain anonymous.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Rep. Gary Tauchen announced the bill Tuesday, about 40 minutes after Manuel Franco of West Allis appeared a Madison news conference to reveal he had won a $768 million Powerball jackpot, the third largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history.

Current state law doesn’t allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. Tauchen said in a news release announcing the bill that lottery winners often become targets of fraud, abuse and harassment.

Franco said at his news conference that he felt a sense of paranoia after he realized he won. He says he thought somebody was behind him every day and he kept the winning ticket in a safe.