Winning Numbers Drawn For $1.5 Billion Powerball Jackpot
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - Powerball announced the winning numbers for the $1.5 billion jackpot Wednesday night.
The winning numbers are:
4-8-19-27-34, Powerball 10
All six numbers must be correct to win, although the first five can be in any order.
The California Lottery confirmed on Twitter that a jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Chino Hills near Los Angeles.
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
At one point Wednesday, 17,000 tickets were being sold every minute in Pennsylvania. By Wednesday night, the lottery expects that 85 percent of the possible combinations will have been purchased.
The odds of any one person hitting the $1.5 billion dollar Powerball jackpot are slim – 1 in 292 million. But eventually, it will happen.
People are doing whatever it takes to win the jackpot, including standing in long lines at Al's Market in Braddock. Folks have their methods of choosing where to play, but, as owner Al Handza says, Al's has a winning reputation.
KDKA's Brenda Waters: "You've had how many million dollar winners from the Powerball?"
Al Handza: "Two, at least."
KDKA's Brenda Waters: "How many winners for the Cash Five?"
Al Handza: "Six."
KDKA's Brenda Waters: "Quinto?"
Al Handza: "Three that I know of."
"I tried to change it up every now and then," Joe McAtee of North Braddock said. "It seems like here you got good odds. I mean, they got chances of having winners here, so why not? You know what I mean."
Others have well-laid plans.
"I play everywhere, two here, two there," Tom Siksa of Forest Hills said. "I'm trying to make the machine spit a winner. You don't put all your eggs in one basket."
"I'm on my way to work, and I've known Al at Al's Market for a long long time, so I always stop by on my way into work," Kris Kochis of North Versailles said. "I think we're still due for another [winner from Al's Market]."
But the odds of that happening are 1 in 292 million, and it gets worse. There are more than 292 million different combinations of numbers, and at $2 a ticket, you would need almost $600 million to play every combination.
But with this kind of money up for grabs, everyone has the fever.
There are other superstitions surrounding the jackpot, too, besides where you buy them. Some people are superstitious about when to check their ticket.
One woman said she doesn't check her ticket until days later, and another said she returns to where she bought her ticket and checks it there.
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The $1.5 billion prize would be paid in annual payments over 29 years or the winner could opt for a lump-sum payment of $930 million.
If no one wins tonight, the jackpot could be almost $2 billion, with a cash value of $1.24 billion, by Saturday. The drawing tonight happens at 10:59 p.m. eastern time.
(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)