$758.7m ticket holder is biggest ever US lottery winner

A mother-of-two from Massachusetts has become the biggest lottery winner in US history.

Mavis Wanczyk, aged 53, overcame odds of 292.2 million to one and around 170 million other competitors to claim the $758.7m (£593m) rollover Powerball jackpot.

It is the second-largest US lottery pot behind the $1.6bn (£1.25bn) prize won in January last year - however, that had to be shared by three ticket holders.

Speaking at a news conference on Friday, Mavis revealed she had already told her employers at the Mercy Medical Centre she would not be going back in to work, drawing a laugh from the audience.

She said she had been with a work colleague when she discovered that she held the winning ticket - and had thought he was joking when he told her that her numbers had won.

"I had a pipe dream and my pipe dream has finally come true," she said.

"What are you going to do tonight to celebrate?" One reporter asked.

"I'm going to go hide in my bed," she replied, drawing another round of laughter.

Mavis Wanczyk said winning the lottery has been a 'pipe dream' which came true. Credit: AP

Mavis, who bought the ticket in Chicopee near the city of Springfield, has the option of taking the jackpot in chunks or collecting an instant but taxable payout of $480.5m (£375.5m).

The $758.7m (£593m) annuity option sees the fortune paid out over 29 years in 30 payments which each increase 5% annually.

However, it is the immediate payout that has proven the more popular option with previous winners as it can lead to greater gains through investments.

Wednesday night's winning numbers in the Powerball lottery were 6, 7, 16, 23 and 26 with a Powerball of 4.

Six other tickets each won $2m (£1.56m) while 34 other tickets are worth $1m (£780,000).

Around 170 million tickets were sold in the build-up to Wednesday night's draw. Credit: AP

The estimated jackpot in the lottery, which is played in 44 US states as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, will now be reset to $40 million (£31m).

The UK's Lotto prize will never reach such astronomical figures as it has a rollover cap of £22m.

The cap sees the jackpot awarded to the ticket holder or holders with the most correct numbers in the next draw.