[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] The Powerball lottery winner with the highest prize ever was announced on the 8th (local time).
The California State Lottery Association announced on Twitter on the 8th (local time) that a Powerball winning ticket worth $2.04 billion (approximately 2.8193 trillion KRW) was sold at a car repair shop in Altadena, California.
The Powerball jackpot had not been won for 40 consecutive draws since August 3, causing the accumulated prize to reach an all-time high. The drawing was scheduled for the night of Monday the 7th, but due to technical issues in some areas, the drawing was delayed by more than 10 hours, causing the jackpot to increase from the initial $1.9 billion to over $2 billion.
This amount is the total payout when received as an annuity over 29 years. Typically, first-place winners prefer a lump-sum cash payment, which in this case amounts to $997.6 million.
It has not yet been confirmed whether the Powerball winner has claimed the prize. There have only been four instances in the U.S. where lottery winnings exceeded $1 billion. This is the first time the prize has reached the $2 billion range. Previously, in January 2016, three winners shared the prize, but this time, there is a single lucky winner.
Local media reported that the odds of winning first place are approximately 1 in 292.2 million. To win, players must match all six numbers: five white balls and one red Powerball number. Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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