Did you know you have better odds of being struck by lightning than winning the lottery? The chances of being blessed by Thor are 1 in 15,300 while the chances of striking it rich are 1 in 292,201,338. One lucky unidentified California player defied the odds and won the whopping $1.08 billion prize.
The drawing occurred on Wednesday July 19, 2023. The prize is the game’s third-largest ever with 39 drawings in the last three months with no big winner. The lucky numbers were 7, 10, 11, 13, 24, and the red Powerball 24.
The winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in Downtown Los Angeles. The unidentified winner has options about how to receive their winnings. They can choose to do a lump sum payment of $558.1 million or get the full $1.08 billion paid out in installments over 30 years.
There are pros and cons to both options. You receive less money with a lump sum payment, but you get it quicker. Age can also be a factor in the decision-making process. An older person may not want to wait 29 years to receive all their winnings. Another factor is you will pay less taxes with the annuity option.
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Three other lucky people did not win the whole prize but still won big. Matching the white balls and the Power Play came with a $2 million payday. That’s nothing to scoff at.
Thirty six other ticket holders also won big money, becoming instant millionaires. For matching five white balls they will take home $1 million. That is much more than what is between the couch cushions.
Navor Herrera, originally from Chiapas, Mexico, owns the store that sold the winning ticket. He was shocked and happy to learn the good news. “It's a big surprise for us,” Navor explains. “We are trying to still believe this, because it is great news and not everyone can handle it. Imagine the person who earned it.”
This is only the third time a California ticket won at least $1 billion. In November 2022, California resident Edwin Castro won a $2.04 billion prize. This was the largest sum ever in Powerball history.
Edwin decided to go with the lump sum option and received a one-time payment of $997.6 million. One of the things he did with his winnings was purchasing a $25.5 million home in the Hollywood Hills. His good fortune is not without controversy, as he is accused of stealing the winning ticket.
In 2016, three tickets sold in California, Florida, and Tennessee split the $1.6 billion payday. The California ticket holders were Marvin and Mae Acosta from Chino Hills, who decided to opt for the $327.8 million lump sum payment. They also choose to remain anonymous for six months and keep a low profile even after claiming their prize.
