Sarah Hauer

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A Powerball ticket bought in New Berlin is a winner — The winner.

A life-changing $768.4 million jackpot will go to whoever bought the winning Powerball ticket at a Speedway in New Berlin.

This is the largest jackpot in the Wisconsin lottery's history and the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The lump sum payout is $477 million.

The lucky numbers for the $768.4 million jackpot were 16, 20, 37, 44, 62 and Powerball 12. The ticket sold in New Berlin was the only one to match all six numbers.

The winning ticket was sold at the Speedway gas station at 15555 W. Beloit Road in New Berlin, the Wisconsin Lottery announced during a news conference in Madison. The seller receives a $100,000 payout. The people working at the station Thursday did not talk to the media and asked reporters to leave.

The winner has 180 days from the drawing to claim the lottery prize. State law requires the lottery to identify winners but they are not required to make a public appearance.

RELATED:New Berlin is buzzing after historic Wisconsin Powerball jackpot win

Lottery jackpot winners are advised to keep quiet about their sudden riches and to think long term about how to receive — and spend — the winnings. There's a reason it's called "the curse of the lottery." A majority of lottery winners end up broke again, according to some estimates.

"This is a life-changing amount of money," said James Madlom, partner and chief operating officer at Mueller Communications who has worked with lottery winners. "You want to make sure it's change for the good."

Madlom's advice to whoever won the jackpot: sign the ticket, put it in a safe deposit box and then use those 180 days before claiming the money wisely.

"Take the time to be prepared for it," he said. "You are going to have a lot of new complications in your life and you want to surround yourself with people who can help navigate those challenges."

Before coming forward to identify themselves, he said the winner should surround themselves with a team — a lawyer, accountant and communication professionals. The team can provide expert guidance and a buffer between the winner suddenly thrust into the spotlight and people making requests, such as the media and community members.

One challenge is deciding how the winner wants to receive the money. The $768.4 million prize could be paid in annuities over 29 years or taken as a one-time $477 million cash payment.

Because winners in Wisconsin cannot remain anonymous, Madlom said a critical move for winners is to take steps to protect their privacy, like changing settings on social media accounts.

Madlom said Mueller had not been contacted by the New Berlin winner.

This is the 17th Powerball jackpot win in Wisconsin since 1988.

Milwaukee resident Mai Xiong most recently won $156.2 million on March 22, 2017. The largest award in Wisconsin before this Powerball drawing came in 2006 when a group of 100 people in Fond du Lac won $208.8 million.

RELATED:Winner from Milwaukee claims $156.2 million Powerball ticket sold at Pewaukee gas station

DATABASE:Search the details of Wisconsin Lottery winners from 2018 and 2019

"This is an amazing milestone moment for Wisconsin,” Wisconsin Lottery Director Cindy Polzin said in a news release. “It truly is incredible to think that the winning ticket for this historic jackpot was sold in our own backyard. I am extremely excited for the winners and for our state. This event puts us in the national spotlight and turns Wisconsin into WINsconsin.”

Powerball is played in 44 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The only jackpots larger than Wednesday's include the world record $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot in January 2016 shared by winners in California, Colorado and Tennessee. A woman from South Carolina anonymously claimed the second biggest prize of a $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot last October.

RELATED:Powerball lottery jackpot hits $750 million: 12 things not to do if you win

RELATED:Lottery jackpot winners face heavy tax burden

RELATED:Win the lottery? What to do and not to do when you suddenly receive a ton of money

Kristin Lam of USA Today contributed to this story.

Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer. Subscribe to her weekly newsletter Be MKE at jsonline.com/bemke.