A single Powerball ticket sold in Los Angeles matched all 6 numbers for the $1.08 billion jackpot

By Nouran Salahieh, CNN

(CNN) — The owner or owners of the $1.08 billion winning ticket in Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing, sold at a convenience store in Los Angeles, have yet to claim the prize, which is among the largest in the game’s history.

The winning numbers were 7, 13, 10, 24, 11 and the Powerball was 24.

The lucky ticket holder will have the choice between an annuitized prize paid out in installments over 29 years of $1.08 billion, or a lump-sum payment of $558.1 million, both before taxes, according to Powerball.

Wednesday’s prize ranks as the sixth-largest US lottery jackpot and third-largest Powerball jackpot, behind the world record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won last year in California, and the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot won in 2016, according to the lottery.

Wednesday’s winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Lottery. The convenience store will receive nearly $1 million for selling the winning ticket.

Angélica Menjívar, whose mother owns the store, told reporters they were happy for the bonus but didn’t have plans yet how to spend it.

Nabor Herrera, who works at the store, learned the mart sold the winning ticket as he arrived to work Thursday morning, his car flanked by reporters.

“I didn’t know, I am finding out right now when they have me surrounded,” he said. “They didn’t want to let me park.”

Three of Herrera’s customers bought a large share of tickets, he said, and he hoped the winner is one of his many regulars. He was eager to check two tickets of his own he had purchased.

“Blessed, thank God someone won,” he said. “We also get a little bit.”

Herrera was initially identified as the owner; a lottery spokesperson told CNN after the news conference that he was an employee.

In California, Powerball jackpot winners have one year to claim their prizes. They have 60 days after their claim is validated to choose which payout they want.

Though a single ticket won the jackpot, players are being advised to check their tickets on the chance they won one of the seven other types of prizes ranging from $4 to $2 million (depending on state lottery rules).

Another winner was the state’s public school system.

“The lottery has raised nearly $80 million dollars for public schools just from this one game,” said California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker.

In addition to Wednesday’s big winner, 36 tickets sold across 16 states matched all five white balls to win what in most states will be $1 million prizes, according to a Powerball news release. Seven of those tickets were sold in California, where the prizes will be $448,750, according to California’s lottery site. Non-jackpot prizes in California vary depending on number of winners and ticket sales, and so will differ from fixed prizes shown on Powerball’s site.

The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball says on its website.

Before Wednesday’s win, there had been 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner since Powerball’s April 19 drawing, when a ticket in Ohio matched all six numbers to win a grand prize worth $252.6 million.

“Congratulations to our newest Powerball jackpot winner and the California Lottery!” said Drew Svitko, Powerball Product Group Chair and Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director. “For more than 30 years, Powerball has brought people together to dream big and win big, and in doing so, has raised billions of dollars for good causes supported by lotteries.”

Last year, a lone winning ticket – also in California – won the record $2.04 billion Powerball lottery jackpot. As a result, the owner of the gas station that sold the winning ticket became a millionaire himself.

For those who didn’t become instant millionaires on Wednesday, there may still be hope: the Mega Millions drawing. Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot is worth an estimated annuitized value $720 million, with a cash value of $369.6 million.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN’s Alexandra Coenjaerts, Steve Almasy and Lauren Mascarenhas contributed to this report.