California ticket wins $1.73 billion Powerball lottery jackpot; Here's all you need to know

California, US

A single ticket sold in California won Wednesday (Oct 11) night's $1.76 billion Powerball jackpot. The jackpot-winning numbers were, 22, 24, 40, 52, 64. 

This is the second-biggest in US lottery history, according to Powerball officials. Before this, the biggest jackpot in both Powerball and US lottery history was $2.04 billion, which was won by a man in the Los Angeles area in November 2022.

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The ticket which had all the numbers was sold in Frasier Park, California, which is located between Los Angeles and Bakersfield in Kern County.

“This is a gigantic night for Powerball players and US lotteries,” Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and executive director of the Pennsylvania Lottery, said in a statement.

Lottery officials said that Wednesday's winner has two payout options, "An annuity, in which the winner receives one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year, or the lump sum option. Choosing the second option will make the cash value amount approximately $756.6 million before taxes".

Tickets worth $1 million -- a player matching five numbers -- were won in five states. There were two winners each in California and Florida, and solo winners in New York, Oklahoma, and Virginia, lottery officials said.

According to The Associated Press, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, since the last time when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion. 

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Drawings of tickets are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. The jackpot resets to $20 million, with the next drawing on Saturday.

Powerball is played in 45 states as well as Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

How to participate in Powerball

Players can purchase the tickets from a retail store authorised to participate in US states. Players can buy tickets online through the state lottery agency and can also participate using the online lottery ticket company Jackpot.com. 

The five numbers on the white ball are between 1 and 69, and the numbers on the red ball are between 1 and 26. Players can also add the Power Play feature for an additional $1.

(With inputs from agencies)