Matthew Good, Powerball Arizona winner, says fiscal cliff was reason he took one-time payout

The winning ticket for Saturday night's $338 million Powerball jackpot sold at a convenience story in Bordentown, CNN affiliate KYW-TV said.
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Posted: 12/11/2012

Associated Press

PHOENIX — The second winner of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot is a 37-year-old electronics industry professional who grew up in a modest home in Pennsylvania and moved to an affluent Phoenix suburb last year before striking it rich in the lotto. 

The winner is Matthew Good of Fountain Hills, who chose to remain anonymous after claiming the prize last week. Lottery winners in Arizona are a matter of public record, and The Associated Press filed a public records request to learn his name. 

Good took the one-time payout of $192 million from the Nov. 28 drawing, telling lottery officials the looming fiscal cliff was the reason he claimed the winnings now and not in the next calendar year. He had 180 days to claim his share of the jackpot. 

Good grew up on a working-class block in Wormleysburg, Pa., near Harrisburg. His stepmother, Charlotte Good, said in an interview with the AP that Good was “a typical kid” who has always worked hard. She said he waited until Saturday to phone his father Ray with the news. 

“My husband, he just can’t get over it,” said Charlotte Good, 63, a retired state Revenue Department employee. “It’s his son.”  He told his father “they’re out of sight and they would contact him,” she said.

No one answered the door Monday at Good’s home, which has a tile roof and desert landscaping. 

Property records showed that Good paid $289,900 for the 2,500-square-foot home in September 2011. The real estate listing describes the house as having gorgeous mountain views, vaulted ceilings, a backyard with an outdoor kitchen and a three-car garage.

 Good previously issued a statement that said: “It is difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift. We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been incredibly overwhelming and we have always cherished our privacy.” 

Charlotte Good said she helped raise Matt from the age of 5 — after his biological mother had died of cancer — and until his late teens, when he moved in to the house next door to live with his ailing grandfather.

 Charlotte Good was reading details about her stepson’s winnings from Internet accounts on Monday while she packed for an impending move. 

Matt Good attended Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill, and had been working in the electronics field when they moved to Arizona a year ago, she said. A LinkedIn profile for Matthew Good in Fountain Hills lists him as a training manager for an electronics company.

 Neighbors said they were slightly acquainted with Good and described him as a generous, amiable person who keeps up his property. 

Randy Tanner, who lives next door, said Good has a warm relationship with his daughter, who is about 5. Good recently helped Tanner carry a table to a friend’s house in the neighborhood. 

“You can’t beat them for neighbors,” said retired police officer Jerry Meltzer, who lives across the street. 

Good bought $10 worth of tickets and kept the winner in the visor of his car overnight before realizing he was an instant millionaire.

 Lotto officials said he gave $20 to the cashier of a Fountain Hills convenience store, and the clerk nudged him to spend the entire amount on tickets. He declined the offer. 

After Good and his wife learned of their good fortune, he pulled together a team of financial advisers and decided to take his share this month to avoid potentially higher taxes in 2013. 

Lottery officials said Good’s wife owns half the prize because Arizona is a community property state.

A mechanic and his wife, Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, Mo., already have claimed their half of the multistate Powerball prize. 

The jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a minute. 

Before the drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without any winners. In a Mega Millions drawing in March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest lottery payout of all time.