ATLANTA – A 52-year-old maintenance man collected a $163 million lottery jackpot Monday. Now you can call him a retired maintenance man.
Ben Chason chose to take his winnings in a lump sum, receiving about $66 million after taxes.
Chason bought the winning ticket in Friday's Mega Millions drawing at a convenience store in Bainbridge, where he was a maintenance man for the housing authority.
Asked if he will continue working for the housing authority, Chason replied, "I'm retired."
He said he plans to spend some of the money on his family and his girlfriend's family, and to invest some of it. He also said he wants to buy some land and help a nephew who is becoming a minister.
"I have thought of probably trying to start him a church — and I may just put the money up and build him one," Chason said.
The jackpot is nowhere near a record. In February, eight workers at a Nebraska meatpacking plant split $365 million in the other big multistate lottery, Powerball.
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