$1.08 Billion Powerball Jackpot Won in Los Angeles
A $1.08 billion Powerball prize was won in Los Angeles, matching all six numbers and securing one of the largest prizes in the game’s history. This winning ticket, sold at a local convenience store, has yet to be claimed.
The winning numbers for this monumental prize were 7, 13, 10, 24, and 11, and the Powerball number was 24. According to research, only one of the winning numbers, 7, is considered one of the luckiest numbers. The fortunate $1.08 billion Powerball winner will be presented with two options: they can either opt for an annuitized prize, which will be paid out in instalments over 29 years, amounting to $1.08 billion, or they can choose a lump-sum payment of $558.1 million. Both options are pre-tax, as per Powerball’s rules.
This immense award is the sixth-largest ever recorded in US lottery history and the third-largest specifically in Powerball history. It falls short of the extraordinary world record set last year in California, where a staggering $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot was won, and the remarkable $1.586 billion prize claimed in 2016.
The winning ticket was sold in downtown Los Angeles at the Las Palmitas Mini Market, as confirmed by the California Lottery. The store is set to receive nearly $1 million for selling the winning ticket, a bonus that has left the store’s owners and employees overjoyed.
In California, Powerball jackpot winners have a year to claim their prizes. Once their claim is validated, they have 60 days to decide whether they want the annuitized prize or the lump-sum payment.
While a single ticket won the jackpot, players are encouraged to check their tickets as they might have won one of the seven other prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million, depending on the state lottery rules.
The state’s public school system also emerged as a winner from this game. “The lottery has raised nearly 80 million dollars for public schools just from this game,” said California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker.
In addition to the jackpot winner, 36 tickets sold across 16 states matched all five white balls, winning $1 million in prizes in most states. Seven of these tickets were sold in California, where the prizes will be $448,750, per California’s lottery site.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. Prior to this victory, there were 38 successive drawings without a jackpot winner since the Powerball drawing on April 19. On that occasion, a ticket sold in Ohio managed to match all six numbers, securing a grand prize worth $252.6 million.
Last year, a single winning ticket in California won the record $2.04 billion Powerball lottery jackpot, turning the owner of the gas station that sold the winning ticket into a millionaire.
For those who didn’t strike it rich this time, there’s still a chance to win big with the upcoming Mega Millions drawing. The estimated annuitized value of Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot is a whopping $720 million, with a cash value of $369.6 million. If you think the odds of winning the lottery are quite steep, there are online lottery options with better odds that can also turn you into an overnight millionaire.
