The winning numbers for the $1 billion Powerball jackpot were announced Wednesday night, NBC Chicago’s Natalie Martinez reports.
The Powerball lottery game finally has a jackpot winner, as a single ticket in Wednesday's drawing matched all five numbers plus the Powerball to take home the jackpot of $1.08 billion.
But there were plenty of newly-minted millionaires in Wednesday's drawing, too, as more than three dozen sold tickets in 18 states -- including Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin -- pulled in at least $1 million each.
According to the lottery officials, Wednesday's jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market downtown in Los Angeles. Across the country, Powerball tickets sold in Florida, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island each won $2 million, Powerball's website says.
36 tickets in 16 states matched five numbers to take home $1 million each, Powerball said, with California selling seven $1 million winning tickets.
Here's which other states sold $1 million winning tickets in Wednesday's drawing:
- Connecticut
- Florida (four tickets)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kentucky
- Massachusetts (three tickets)
- Maryland (two tickets)
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (two tickets)
- New York (five tickets)
- Ohio
- Texas (four tickets)
- Wisconsin
- West Virginia
According to the Illinois Lottery, Illinois' $1 million ticket was sold in Elmhurst.
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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.
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.
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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.
This story has been updated to correct the number of states $1 million winning tickets were sold in.
