At least one winning ticket sold in $1.5 billion Powerball
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Millions of Americans waited anxiously Wednesday to see if they were holding a winning ticket for the $1.5 billion Powerball lottery.
The winning numbers drawn late Wednesday were 8, 27, 34, 4 and 19 with the Powerball of 10.
Within minutes, California's state lottery tweeted that a winning ticket had been sold in the Los Angeles suburb of Chino Hills. Lottery officials confirmed the win to CBS News.
We have a winner in California! A jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Chino Hills. We're still awaiting results from other states.
— California Lottery (@calottery) January 14, 2016
Earlier, officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association had said it could be several hours before it was known whether there were any winners.
Lottery officials said 85.8 percent of possible number combinations had been selected by midday Wednesday, increasing the chances that someone would win the world's largest lottery jackpot. But the odds of winning were still extraordinarily slim, at 1 in 292.2 million.
The estimated $1.5 billion jackpot will be paid in annual payments over 29 years, or the winner could opt for a lump-sum payment of $930 million. Winners have to pay 39.6 percent of the prize in federal income taxes, in addition to any state taxes.
Estimated jackpot amounts, which are released daily, have been steadily rising since Nov. 4, when the jackpot was reset at $40 million.
Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. But residents in the six states that don't participate found ways to get their hands on tickets.
Some of the biggest Powerball sales came from cities bordering states that don't sell the tickets, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The association oversees the Powerball Lottery, but management rotates annually among member states.