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Most lottery jackpot winners stay anonymous, if they can. But often that's not up to them to decide.
WASHINGTON — A single ticket sold in downtown Los Angeles won the Powerball jackpot worth an estimated $1.08 billion, the sixth largest prize in U.S. lottery history and the third largest in the history of the game.
While only one ticket hit the jackpot, dozens of players were just short of the grand prize, matching the first five balls to win at least a million dollars. The winning numbers for Wednesday night’s drawing were: white balls 7, 10, 11, 13, 24 and red Powerball 24.
Who won the Powerball jackpot?
It may be quite a bit of time before we find out exactly who won the massive Powerball jackpot.
In California, winners have up to a year to claim a Powerball or Mega Millions grand prize, according to the California lottery's winner's handbook.
And while winners in some states can choose to stay anonymous, California law requires the jackpot winner's name to be released when they come forward to claim their prize, but they can choose to keep other details private.
Most lottery jackpot winners stay anonymous if they can, fearing unwanted attention and unscrupulous grabs for the money. Those in favor of identifying winners argue that it helps maintain transparency and public trust in the games.
When the winner of last fall's record-setting $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot claimed his prize in California, lottery officials shared his name and released a statement from him. But that winner - Edwin Castro - did not appear at the announcement event and declined the opportunity to do any media interviews.
Lottery officials also usually recommend jackpot winners take some time to calm down and talk to a financial planner before rushing to the nearest lottery office.
Where was the winning $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot ticket sold?
This week's $1.08 billion winning Powerball ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles, California. That convenience story is located just 16 miles from where the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot was won back in November at a gas station in Altadena, California.
Whoever won Wednesday's jackpot can choose either the total grand prize paid out in yearly increments or a $558.1 million, one-time lump sum before taxes.
The odds of winning any Powerball jackpot jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The game is played in 45 states and Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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