California Ticketholder Wins $1.75 billion Powerball Jackpot

A single ticket sold in California won Wednesday night's gargantuan $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-biggest in U.S. lottery history, Powerball officials say. Late ticket sales sent the grand prize past its earlier estimated $1.73 billion.

A lottery player in California has won a $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot drawn Wednesday night, ending a 35 week stretch without a winner of the top prize.

The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10.

The ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, according to the California Lottery.

The owner of the store identified as Duke expects that the jackpot winner will be a local resident.

Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion.

The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings.

That streak trails the record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022. Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier advertised estimate of $1.73 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing.

The biggest jackpot in both Powerball and U.S. lottery history was $2.04 billion, which was won in November 2022 by a man in the Los Angeles area.

Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes becoming ever larger as they repeatedly roll over when no one wins. And wins in recent months have been few and far between.

The $1.765 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity, doled out over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option, which for Wednesday night’s drawing was estimated at $774.1 million.

Winnings would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Powerball tickets are $2 each. They're sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings take place Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 11 p.m. EDT.

Billion-dollar lottery jackpots have become more common in recent years as both Powerball and Mega Millions have raised ticket prices and lowered the odds of winning the jackpot. According to The Washington Post, Powerball lowered the odds of winning in 2015 from 1 in 175.2 million to where it currently stands, at 1 in 292.2 million.

October 12, 2023