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CNN Live At Daybreak

Powerball Winner David Edwards Discusses Hitting it Big

Aired August 27, 2001 - 07:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: And now how life has changed for a certain new millionaire -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, amazing. Forty six years old, David Edwards, sitting around on a Saturday night -- and he joins us live now with his fiance Shawna Maddox (ph).

Good morning, and congratulations to both of you.

DAVID EDWARDS, POWERBALL WINNER: Good morning.

SHAWNA MADDOX, DAVID EDWARDS' FIANCEE: Good morning.

LIN: All right. David, I love this story because it just goes to show that anything can happen at any time. Take me back to Saturday night. You weren't even going to play this Powerball, and here it is an hour before the deadline and what goes through your mind?

EDWARDS: Well, I've been telling this story here for a day and a half, but at the time I only had three more unemployment checks left and I didn't have any medical insurance and I need an operation on my back. And so I was -- my back was against the wall. I was pretty desperate.

LIN: Literally.

EDWARDS: And -- yes, literally. I'd been laid off in telecommunications market now for about three months and so I only had three more checks coming in. I didn't know what I was going to do after that. And so my only hope at that point was, hey, why not. It's up to $280 million, let's give it a shot.

LIN: All right, so you go down the street, right, to Clark's...

EDWARDS: Right.

LIN: ... Pump-N-Shop?

EDWARDS: Yes.

MADDOX: Yes.

LIN: You're a regular customer there? EDWARDS: Yes.

LIN: And you pick, what, four tickets? Your first four plays, what was your strategy there?

EDWARDS: I always pick like anniversaries, birthdays, things like that. I did that on the first three lines and then on the fourth line I decided to just look at the numbers and let the numbers sort of pick me. And as I looked down at the numbers, whatever came to my mind that's what I picked and that's what I ended up winning on.

LIN: Shawna, did you have a hand in any of this?

MADDOX: I'm sorry, what?

LIN: Did you have a hand in any of this?

MADDOX: No, he just picked the numbers himself. My lucky honey.

LIN: You bet. Well, you're very lucky as well. What are you guys going to do with the money?

EDWARDS: Well, I'm putting some back for our kids. Shawna has a couple of boys. I got a little girl. And all of those are going to get to go to college. We're going

(CROSSTALK)

MADDOX: I'm getting a Ferrari.

EDWARDS: She's getting a Ferrari.

LIN: What color, Shawna?

MADDOX: Red.

LIN: You bet, the color of money when it comes to Ferraris.

MADDOX: Yes.

LIN: And then -- and then long term, have you really thought about how this is going to change your lives?

EDWARDS: Well, I'm hoping it'll make a change for us in a positive way. We're going to try to listen to some financial advisers, get the money invested to where that other future generations will have this money as well, not just us. We need a new house.

MADDOX: We need a new everything.

EDWARDS: We need a new everything.

LIN: The new everything.

EDWARDS: Yes. MADDOX: We're going to be the new improved David and Shawna.

LIN: Have you guys thought about whether you're ever going to work again?

EDWARDS: We haven't yet. We haven't had time to really think about anything.

MADDOX: I'm going back to school. I'm going to work again.

LIN: Good for you. What do you want to do, Shawna?

MADDOX: I'd like to get a degree in business and marketing.

LIN: That might come in handy.

EDWARDS: Yes.

MADDOX: Yes, definitely that's what -- that's what I want to do.

LIN: When's the wedding day?

EDWARDS: We haven't decided yet. We're going to wait until we get the lottery money and then at that point we can go anywhere in the world and do it and fly our friends there as well.

LIN: You bet.

EDWARDS: So -- yes.

LIN: Private jets. Are you taking it in one lump sum or are you going for the payments?

EDWARDS: Well, on the advice of these advisers, we talked to a tax accountant yesterday and a tax lawyer and after discussing it with them, I think I'm going to lean towards taking the lump sum.

LIN: Taking the lump sum. All right. Yes, amortized over in the market, you might do pretty well I think.

EDWARDS: Yes.

LIN: Well, congratulations to both of you. We're very happy.

MADDOX: Thank you.

LIN: We're living vicariously, and we're all wishing here in Atlanta that we drove to Louisiana to buy a ticket ourselves.

EDWARDS: OK.

LIN: Thanks so much, congratulations. The first winners stepping forward.

EDWARDS: Thank you.

LIN: We're still waiting to hear from the other people as well.

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