A ticket sold in California hit Wednesday’s $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot, the world’s second-largest lottery prize.
The winning numbers announced were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball was 10.
According to the California Lottery, the winning ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, a city in Kern County with a population of about 2,500 people.
Two “5/5” tickets, without the Powerball, were sold in California as well; each was worth about $760,000. One was sold at the MLS Mini Mart #2 on Homestead Road in Santa Clara. The other was sold at Atlantic Wine & Spirit in Monterey Park, in Southern California.
The largest lottery jackpot ever was a $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November.
The latest Powerball jackpot grew so large because it had rolled over for 35 consecutive drawings, since the last time someone won on July 19. That streak trails the Powerball record of 41 draws set in 2021 and 2022.
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.
That didn’t bother those eager to plunk down their money for a long-shot chance at instant wealth.
People Drive From Nevada to California to Buy Tickets
Robert Salvato Jr., a 60-year-old electrician, bought 40 Powerball tickets at a hardware store in Billerica, Massachusetts.
“I would take care of family and give my cat that extra leg that she needs and make her a good kitty,” said Salvato, who got married on Saturday.
“I could give her a ring on every finger, I guess,” Salvato said of his new wife.
Nevada is among the five states without Powerball, so friends Tamara Carter and Denise Davis drove from Las Vegas across the state line into California to buy tickets. But the line was so long at their first stop that they gave up and went in search of another store.
“The line was about three hours long,” Carter estimated. “I was waiting for maybe a half hour, and it didn’t move.”
The jackpot grew enormous due to a long dry spell. The previous winning Powerball ticket was sold on July 19, and it was worth $1.08 billion after 39 drawings without a jackpot win.
In most states, a Powerball ticket costs $2 and players can select their own numbers or leave that task to a computer.
The $1.73 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 is estimated at $756.6 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.