A player in California won the $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot on Wednesday night, ending a long stretch without a winner of the top prize. The winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. The winning ticket was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, according to the California Lottery.
Phone calls to Midway Market & Liquor went unanswered on Wednesday night. The store’s night worker, identified only as Duke, said, “The phone’s been ringing off the hook, people saying congratulations. Pretty crazy.”
Before someone won the giant prize, there had been 35 consecutive drawings without a big winner, stretching back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion. The jackpot is the world’s second-largest lottery prize, after rolling over for 36 consecutive drawings.
Powerball’s terrible odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots. The only top prize that was ever bigger was the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. Many people were eager to buy tickets on Wednesday for a long-shot chance at instant wealth.
Robert Salvato Jr., a 60-year-old electrician, bought 40 Powerball tickets at a hardware store in Billerica, Massachusetts. He said, “I would take care of family and give my cat that extra leg that she needs and make her a good kitty.”
Denise Davis, from Nevada, and her friend Tamara Carter drove from Las Vegas to California to buy tickets, but the line was too long at their first store. Davis estimated that she waited for about half an hour, but the line didn’t move.
The $1.73 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity, doled out over 30 years. Cash option for the Wednesday night’s drawing is estimated at $756.6 million.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Rodrique Ngowi in Billerica, Massachusetts, and Ty O’Neil in California, near Primm, Nevada, contributed to this report.
