Stages set to collect record lottery prize
A Baileys Harbor couple are expected to step forward Monday to claim their winning Wisconsin Megabucks prize. Charles and Patricia Stage hold the jackpot ticket from the Oct. 18 drawing. The jackpot was $15.4 million, but the Stages are taking the single lump-sum cash payment of nearly $8.4 million.
That will bring them $5.7 million after taxes are withheld, according to Jessica Iverson of the Wisconsin Lottery.
The couple could not be reached for comment Friday, but are scheduled to collect the big check at 1 p.m. Monday at the Fish Creek BP, where the winning ticket was sold.
The winning numbers were 2, 3, 11, 13, 35 and 38. The couple has been playing the same numbers for 10 years, according to Iverson.
“Pat (Stage) said they were a combination of family members’ birthdays,” Iverson said.
The Stages confirmed their win with a visit Thursday to the lottery’s Madison office.
“We had spoken to them initially when they called to say they had the winning ticket, then we set up an appointment,” Iverson said. “We have a lot of paperwork involved, and there are security measures with the ticket itself. Then we sit down and talk about the ceremony.”
The win is a county record. The previous high was an $8.29 million jackpot April 8, 2000.
And for those who like coincidences, the previous big winners before the Stages were the “Olde Stage Six,” owners and workers at the Olde Stage Station in Egg Harbor. They each received $481,000 after taxes.
Part of the winnings went to establish Matthew House, a residential facility for the developmentally disabled, in Egg Harbor.
Also receiving a $100,000 check will be Fish Creek BP. Retailers who sell winning lottery tickets of $600 or more get a commission of 2 percent of the prize up to a maximum of $100,000.