Commuters drive past a sign showing the Powerball jackpot in Wednesday’s drawing is posted outside the Mobil Mart in Methuen, Mass., Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016.
Advertisement
The huge jackpot led to busy counters earlier Wednesday at places where lottery tickets are sold. “We’re still awaiting results from other states”, California Lottery tweeted.
If a victor isn’t drawn, it will be the 20th without a grand prize victor.
California is one of the majority of states that require lottery winners to be publicly identified if they want their money. A jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Chino Hills.
Spokesman Alex Traverso told The Associated Press it was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, about 25 miles northeast of Anaheim.
The identity of the victor is not yet known.
After the winning Southern California ticket was announced, local TV helicopters captured images of a large crowd of people gathering at the 7-Eleven.
The winning numbers in the largest Powerball ever are 8-27-34-4-19-10. And if they pay an extra dollar when they buy their ticket, that prize can double to $2 million. Some of the biggest Powerball sales have come from cities bordering states that don’t sell the tickets, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
If no tickets match all of the numbers drawn, lottery officials say the next jackpot could reach $2 billion. Powerball is played in 44 states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The world’s biggest lotto jackpot will be split three ways.
Wednesday night’s Powerball was a record jackpot at $1.5 billion.
The winners can opt for annual payments over decades or a lump-sum payment.
If no one cashes in on Wednesday’s drawing, the prize could soar to $2 billion, CNBC reports.
Advertisement
A single victor could choose between an annuity paying $1.5 billion over 30 years or a lump sum of $930 million. Estimated jackpot amounts, which are released daily, have been steadily rising since November 4, when the jackpot was reset at $40 million.
