Owners of Chino Hills Powerball ticket claims share of $1.6 billion

The wait was worth more than $500 million for a couple who stepped forward Tuesday after six months to claim a history making Powerball prize.

Marvin and Mae Acosta won $528 million, the largest lottery prize in California Lottery history and part of a U.S. record jackpot that gripped the nation during a series of high-stakes drawings in January. Their ticket was one of three winners in the Jan. 13 drawing for the $1.6 billion jackpot, the largest in U.S. history.

The Acostas bought the ticket at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills. The couple declined interview requests, but released a statement in which they called the prize a “rare gift.”

“We are thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care,” the Acostas said in a statement. “We have engaged a team of advisors to educate and guide us through this process so that we can be good stewards of these new resources. While many decisions are still to be made, we have committed nearly all of this new resource to a Trust and to charities that are important to us. While we are very grateful for the wonderful wishes and encouragement we’ve received, it is not our intention to become public figures, and we ask for and appreciate privacy going forward. Thank you.”