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Newport abuzz over $336 million lottery ticket

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February 15, 2012|By Alli Knothe

This grocery store on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, R.I., was where the winning… (AP )

There’s a buzz of excitement at the Stop & Shop in Newport, R.I., today, and it’s not because there’s a great deal on a gallon of milk.

On Saturday, a Powerball lottery ticket was drawn, entitling someone to a $336.4 million jackpot. The ticket, bearing the numbers 1-10-37-52-57 plus Powerball number 11, was sold at the Stop & Shop on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, but no one has stepped forward to claim the prize.

“There has been a pretty steady stream of customers asking about it,” said Suzi Robinson, spokeswoman for New England Stop & Shops. “People are really curious to know who the winner is.”

The jackpot is the third largest for the game, and the largest for the state.

The winner has a year to step forward and claim the prize, which can be taken in installments over the next 30 years, or as $210 million in cash on the spot.

The cost of a Powerball ticket jumped from $1 to $2 on Jan. 15, in an effort to increase the jackpot, said Melissa Juhnowski, spokeswoman for the Rhode Island Lottery.

The jackpot will go back to the participating states if the winner does not come forward. The prize can be claimed at Lottery headquarters, 1425 Pontiac Ave. in Cranston, R.I.