Jon Marshall, manager of the Quincy Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh that sold the $1.04 billion Powerball ticket, said his own ticket did not match the winning numbers.
The Illinois store learned around 3 a.m. Thursday that it sold the jackpot winner, touching off local speculation as regular customers told Marshall they were not the winner either.
Hy-Vee will still collect a $500,000 bonus for selling the ticket, even though the jackpot belongs to an unidentified buyer.
The prize ranks as the eighth-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history; the winner can take $450.5 million in cash or annuity payments and may stay anonymous under Illinois law.