The winner of the record $590 million Powerball jackpot has still not come forward, leaving the small town of Zephyrhills, Fla., where the ticket was purchased in a state of suspense.
“Being in a small town, everybody knows everybody and in some cases, everybody’s business,” Dave Walters, a local reporter told the AP in a new report
. “It’s hard to keep a secret in this town, but this is one of the biggest mysteries we’ve had in a long, long time.”People in the town have even resorted to conspiracy theories.
“Anybody who did not show up for work on that Monday was considered to be the lottery winner,” Walters said. “If you had the flu and didn’t show up for work, everyone thought you were the lottery winner. If you took a personal day or a sick day, they thought you had won the lottery.”
Even the mayor of the town is chiming in.
“Just because one person won the lottery, we all feel like we won, that’s the kind of community this is,” Mayor Danny Burgess said. “I absolutely hope for the lottery winner that this is a positive, life-changing event. Only in America can you go to bed with a lottery ticket and wake up a mega-millionaire. I hope that they understand, appreciate and recognize the significance of this.”