Powerball Jackpot: Winning $699.8 Million Ticket Sold In California
DES MOINES, Iowa (CBS/AP) — After 40 drawings without a big Powerball winner, a single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers drawn Monday night and was the lucky winner of the $699.8 million jackpot prize, officials said.
The winning numbers were 12, 22, 54, 66 and 69. The Powerball was 15.
Thanks to nearly four months of futility and final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot had climbed to $699.8 million, making it the seventh largest in U.S. lottery history. No one had won the game's grand prize since June 5.
According to California Lottery's Twitter account, the winner was from Morro Bay. The winner will be able to choose between the annuity option paid over 29 years or the cash option of $496 million. Both prize options are subject to taxes.
There were five $1 million-winning tickets sold; two in Massachusetts and one each in Virginia, Florida and Arizona.
The 41st drawing set a record, topping the previous mark of 36 drawings that ended in January 2021. The longer the game goes without a grand prize winner, the larger the payout will grow.
The jackpot drought is by design, as the game's long odds of 292.2 million to one are intended to generate massive prizes that draw more players.
Lottery officials have noted that despite the long wait for a winning jackpot ticket, plenty of people have won smaller prizes, including 2.8 million players in Saturday's drawing alone. Those winnings ranged from $1 million to $4.
Powerball tickets are $2 each. It is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. in Tallahassee, Florida.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)