A ticket sold in California won the grand Powerball jackpot of $1.765 billion at Wednesday night’s drawing.
The ticket matched all six balls (22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and Powerball 10) to win the $1.765 billion jackpot, the Powerball website confirmed Oct. 12. The winner has the option to take home the jackpot prize in cash estimated at $774.1 million, or receive the prize via annual payments with a 5% increase each year.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball billionaire and the millions of Powerball players who won other cash prizes in last night’s drawing,” Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director, said in a statement on the lottery site. “For 31 years, some players who have dreamed about winning a Powerball jackpot have defied the odds, and in doing so, have helped generate critical funding for public services and programs supported by U.S. lotteries.” (RELATED: Powerball Jackpot Rises To $1 Billion After Saturday’s Drawing Produces No Winner)
BREAKING: A player in California has won a $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night are: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. https://t.co/TSimggODNq
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 12, 2023
It was not only a monumental moment for the lucky ticket holder but also a historic one, as this jackpot ranks as the second largest Powerball win and the second largest in U.S. lottery history. The $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in California on Nov. 7, 2022, currently holds the record for largest jackpot. California can now boast of being home to the winners of the two largest jackpots ever recorded, the lottery website added.
Prior to Wednesday’s win, the Powerball jackpot hadn’t seen a winner since July 19. An individual from California clinched the $1.08 billion prize from that last drawing July 19. Now, the Powerball jackpot resets to an estimated $20 million prize for the upcoming Saturday night drawing.