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.
According to lottery officials, thousands of people increased their wealth by $100, as 6,054 tickets were sold with numbers matching all four numbers except the Powerball, while an additional 15,376 tickets were sold that matched three of the numbers and the Powerball.
While the life of the Powerball jackpot winner will undeniably change now that they are $2bn wealthier, a former lottery winner revealed that there are some things that don’t change when you win the lottery.
According to Timothy Schultz, a podcast host and YouTuber from Iowa who won a $29m Powerball jackpot in 1999, it is worth remembering that there are some things money doesn’t change, such as “who you are as a person”.
“If you were unhappy before, you might be unhappy after,” he said. “There are some very wealthy people in the world who are extremely unhappy. Money can be positive, but it doesn’t necessarily fix all problems.”
Former lottery winner reveals what doesn’t change after you win millions
Winner of current Powerball jackpot would win estimated $1.9bn
Although the anonymous winner technically won a $2.04bn prize, that doesn’t mean they will receive that amount, as the choice to receive the winnings as a single lump sum payment would mean they’d walk away with $629m after taxes, according to Forbes.
If the winner chooses to receive the money as an annuity, or a series of 30 payments paid over 29 years, they would receive around $68m a year, the outlet reports, which would then be reduced to “around $43m by federal taxes and could be cut further by state and city taxes depending on where the winner lives”.
Despite the hefty taxes, the lucky lottery player has still made history as the winner of the biggest jackpot prize in history.
One downside to winning the lottery is the number of requests for loans winners receive, according to Schultz, who said that he received “stacks of letters from people asking for money” after he walked away with $29m.
The constant requests made it difficult for him to trust new people, he told Fox News.
Former lottery winner reveals what doesn’t change after you win millions
Winner of current Powerball jackpot would win estimated $1.9bn
As for when we can expect to learn the identity of the lucky winner, it may be some time, as California allows lottery winners a year to claim their prize.
However, when the winner does come forward, their identity will be made public, in accordance with California’s Public Records Act.
In addition to the name of the winner, and the amount of money they will receive, California law also means details about the winning ticket are also revealed, such as where it was sold and when.
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