Powerball - live: California winner of $2bn draw still hasn’t come forward as man who sold ticket gets $1m
Monday’s drawing was delayed until Tuesday due to ‘technical problem’
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The frenzied interest in winning the record-breaking Powerball jackpot came to a close after it was reported that only one ticket matched the numbers needed to win the more than $2bn grand prize.
As of Tuesday, the record-breaking Powerball jackpot had grown to $2.04bn, according to Powerball.
The latest update to the grand prize came after players waited eagerly for the results of Monday night’s drawing, only for the drawing to be delayed overnight after one of the 48 participating lotteries required “extra time to complete the required security protocols”.
On Tuesday, Powerball announced that the winning numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47, and 56, with a red Powerball 10.
Following the delayed drawing, which was shared on Powerball’s website and in a video uploaded to YouTube, California Lottery officials announced there was one winning ticket.
According to officials, the lucky ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
As players wait for the winner’s name to be released, the interest in the lottery, and its “technical” difficulties, have sparked a number of memes.
No one has yet claimed the $2bn grand prize as of Friday morning.
Follow along below for all of the updates and reactions to the record-breaking Powerball jackpot.
The wait for the winner continues
As of Wednesday morning, the winner of the $2bn Powerball grand prize had yet to come forward and claim their earnings.
Nothing is known about the winner other than they bought the ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, Southern California.
As curiosity over the winner’s identity continues, some have joked that the “real” winner of the $2.04bn Powerball jackpot is the IRS, as the individual with the winning ticket will receive just $627.5m after taxes if they choose to accept their winnings in a lump sum cash prize.
“The winner of the $2bn Powerball jackpot nets $627.5m after taxes. The real jackpot winner is the IRS,” one person joked on Twitter, prompting another person to respond: “The IRS thanks you for your lottery contributions.”
While we still don’t know anything about the lucky individual who won the Powerball jackpot, we do know details about the man who sold the winning ticket - who now happens to be a millionaire himself.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Joseph Chahayed, 75, is the owner of the gas station in Altadena, California, where the winning ticket was sold. As a result, Chahayed received his own cheque for $1m, a Powerball bonus awarded by lottery officials.
As for what he plans to do with the money, Chahayed said he plans to share the money with his family, including his 11 grandchildren.
As for the “technical” difficulties that held up Monday night’s drawing earlier this week, it has since been revealed that Minnesota was the state behind the delay.
The lottery said the delay was due to issues with its sales verification due to “unprecedented lottery interest,” according to The Hill.
“The delay was necessary to confirm the Powerball drawing could be conducted securely and accurately,” the lottery stated. “At no time was the integrity of the process compromised.”
The explanation comes after the Multi-State Lottery Association said the delay was caused by one of the 48 participating lotteries, but did not specify which state. “This has happened a few rare times before - just not when the jackpot was at a newsworthy amount,” the lottery association said while announcing the delay.
As updates about both the Powerball winner and the Midterm Elections continue to trickle in, some have questioned why the counting of votes takes significantly longer than the time it takes to identify the time and place a winning ticket was sold.
“It’s weird that they can track the wining ticket down to the location of sale and the exact time of purchase and how many winners within 30 minutes of drawing the numbers but our elections! It takes days, weeks or months to determine a winner! Fix the process,” one person tweeted.
While people around the country are understandably interested in the identity of the $2bn grand prize winner, we may have a while to wait before we know any details at all about the individual, as the California State Lottery website notes that winners have a year to claim their prize.
However, the name of the winner will eventually be released in accordance with California’s Public Records Act, USAToday reports. In addition to the individual’s name, the winnings, “including the gross and net installment payments, are all subject to disclosure,” the outlet states.
Interestingly, if the winner had purchased the winning lottery ticket in a different state, they may not have been identified in the future, as 11 states allow lottery winners to stay anonymous.
These states include: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio and South Carolina.
While players have remained eager to learn more about the winner of the Powerball jackpot, many shared their happiness over the $1m prize awarded to store owner Joseph Chahayed, who moved to the US from Syria in 1980 with his wife and two children, according to CNN.
“I think I’m happier for the store owner than I am for the Powerball winner,” one person tweeted, while another said: “So happy for him!!”
As for what to do if you win the lottery, experts say one of the first things you should do is consult with a financial advisor and a lawyer.
And although it may be difficult to keep the exciting secret, lottery winners are also advised not to tell anyone but their immediate family about their winnings.
What to do if you win the lottery, according to experts
Chances of winning Powerball jackpot are one in 292 million
While only one individual, who has yet to be revealed, walked away with the jackpot-winning Powerball ticket, there were a number of players who won smaller prizes.
According to Lottery officials, 22 tickets sold across the country were worth at least $1m each. The tickets were sold in California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Washington.
An additional 225 tickets sold are worth $50,000, after the numbers matched four numbers and the Powerball.
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