According to Powerball officials, a sole ticket purchased in California emerged as the winner of the colossal $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot on Wednesday night, making it the second-largest jackpot in the history of U.S. lotteries. The grand prize exceeded its initial estimated amount of $1.73 billion due to a surge in ticket sales towards the end.
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.
The winning numbers for Wednesday night’s draw consisted of the following white balls: 22, 24, 40, 52, and 64, along with the red Powerball number 10.
The winning ducat was purchased at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, Calif., some 75 miles north of Los Angeles, Powerball officials reported.
The person or people who possess the winning ticket will be given the option to receive a lump sum of $774.1 million before taxes, or they can choose to receive an annuity that consists of an initial payment followed by 29 yearly payments.
There hadn’t been any Powerball grand prize winners since a single ticket sold in Los Angeles claimed a $1.08 billion pot of gold on July 19. Wednesday night’s drawing was the 36th since then, lottery officials said.
According to Powerball officials, this was the first instance in Powerball history where three consecutive jackpots exceeded the billion-dollar threshold.
The chances of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
You can purchase Powerball tickets for $2 each in 45 states, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The drawings occur three times a week on 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.
— additional reporting by Brian Dakss
- In:
- Mega Millions
- Powerball
- Lottery
