Arizona Lottery Winner Revealed -- And Wait Until You Hear What the Fiscal Cliff Forced Him to Do

Karen Bach, Director of Budget, Products and Communications of the Arizona Lottery, announces during a news conference that one of the winning tickets in the $579.9 million Powerball jackpot was purchased in Fountain Hills, Ariz., Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, in Phoenix. Credit: AP

PHOENIX (AP) -- The second winner of the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot was identified Monday as Matthew Good, a married man who moved to an affluent Phoenix suburb last year from Pennsylvania.

Good, 37, had decided to remain anonymous, but lottery winners in Arizona are a matter of public record. The Associated Press filed a public records request to learn his name.

Good took the one-time payout of $192 million from the Nov. 28 drawing, telling lottery officials the looming fiscal cliff was the reason he claimed the winnings now and not in the next calendar year. He had 180 days to claim his share of the jackpot.

Lottery officials wouldn't say what Good does for a living but described him as a professional who has no immediate plans to quit his job.

A search of property records showed that Good paid $289,900 for his 2,500-square-foot Fountain Hills home in September 2011. The real estate listing describes the house as having gorgeous mountain views, vaulted ceilings, a backyard with an outdoor kitchen and a three-car garage.

Good previously issued a statement that said: "It is difficult to express just how thankful we are for this wonderful gift. We are extremely grateful and feel fortunate to now have an increased ability to support our charities and causes. Obviously, this has been incredibly overwhelming and we have always cherished our privacy."

No one answered the door Monday at Good's home, which has a tile roof and desert landscaping, and sits next to a wash.

Neighbors said they were slightly acquainted with Good and described him as a generous, amiable person who keeps up his property.

Randy Tanner, who lives next door, said Good has a warm relationship with his daughter, who is about 5. Good recently helped Tanner carry a table to a friend's house in the neighborhood.

Retired police officer Jerry Meltzer, who lives across the street, said he didn't know Good well, but the two had once worked on Meltzer's car.

"You can't beat them for neighbors," Meltzer said.

Good bought $10 worth of tickets and kept the winner in the visor of his car overnight before realizing he was an instant millionaire.

He gave $20 to the cashier of a Fountain Hills convenience store, and the clerk nudged him to spend the entire amount on tickets. He declined the offer.

After Good and his wife learned of their good fortune, he pulled together a team of financial advisers and decided to take his share this month to avoid potentially higher taxes in 2013.

Lottery officials said Good's wife owns half the prize because Arizona is a community property state.

A mechanic and his wife, Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, Mo., already have claimed their half of the multistate Powerball prize.

The jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a minute.

Before the drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without any winners. In a Mega Millions drawing in March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest lottery payout of all time.