No, it wasn't the $1 billion jackpot -- but someone in a Chicago suburb just became $1 million richer, and a handful of other people in the state scored at least $50,000 in Wednesday's Powerball drawing, lottery officials say.
According to the Illinois Lottery, a $1 million ticket Powerball ticket in Wednesday's drawing was purchased at Williams Liquor in Elmhurst, at 925 S. York Rd.
One lucky iLotto player matched four numbers and the Powerball, plus a Power Play to win $100,000. And, six other lucky Illinois Powerball players matched four numbers and the Powerball to score $50,000.
Two of those winning tickets were sold online, on the Illinois Lottery Website, officials said. The others were sold at Love's Travel Stop at 4628 S. Main St. in Rockford, Thornton's Gas & Food at 2201 N. Green Bay Rd. in Waukegan, Casey's General Store at 520 W. Peru St. in Princeton, and Shell Gas Station at 1002 Cameron Dr. in Durand.
17 other states also saw $1 million winners in Wednesday's drawing, including in Indiana and Wisconsin.
A single, jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $1.08 billion was sold in Los Angeles.
Here's which states sold winning Powerball tickets worth at least $1 million:
- California: $1.08 billion jackpot (1 ticket); $1 million (7 tickets)
- Connecticut: $1 million
- Florida: $2 million (1 ticket); $1 million (4 tickets)
- Illinois: $1 million
- Indiana: $1 million
- Kentucky: $1 million
- Massachusetts: $1 million (3 tickets)
- Maryland: $1 million (2 tickets)
- Missouri: $1 million
- New Hampshire: $1 million
- New Jersey: $1 million (2 tickets)
- New York: $1 million (5 tickets)
- Ohio: $1 million
- Pennsylvania: $2 million
- Rhode Island: $2 million
- Texas: $1 million (4 tickets)
- Wisconsin: $1 million
- West Virginia: $1 million
According to Powerball, the jackpot winner can choose either the total jackpot paid out in yearly increments or a $558.1 million, one-time lump sum before taxes.
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The game’s abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes that draw more players. The largest Powerball jackpot was $2.04 billion Powerball in November.
The last time someone had won the Powerball jackpot was April 19 for a top prize of nearly $253 million. Since then, no one had won the grand prize.
The next Powerball drawing, with a new jackpot of $20 million, is scheduled for Saturday at 9:59 p.m. CT. The next Mega Millions drawing, with a jackpot of $720 million, is scheduled for Friday at 10 p.m. CT.
