A single ticket sold in California scored the second-largest jackpot in Powerball and US lottery history.
The ticket to snag the estimated jackpot of more than $USD1.7 billion ($2.6 billion) was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, California, roughly 112 kilometres north of Los Angeles, according to the California Lottery.
State lottery officials presented the owners of the store with a $USD1 million ($1.5 million) bonus cheque on Thursday for selling the winning ticket.
The person who bought the ticket has yet to come forward, officials said, and has one year to do so.
If no one claims the prize, the winnings will go to California public schools, according to Carolyn Becker, spokesperson for the state lottery.
This jackpot alone netted California schools $USD119.5 million ($188.3 million) in supplemental funds.
Becker says most people opt for a lump sum payout, which in this case would be $USD774.1 million ($1.2 billion) before federal taxes.
California does not tax lottery winnings. Once a claim is made, it typically takes about six to eight weeks to be verified and processed.
The winning numbers are 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10.
At the time of Wednesday night's drawing, final ticket sales increased the grand prize.
Powerball prizes in California operate on a pari-mutuel system, meaning the final prize payout amount changes based on ticket sales and number of winners and may not match prizes posted on Powerball's website, the state lottery noted.
Winners in some states may choose to remain anonymous, but California law requires the public disclosure of the jackpot winner's name, the name and location of the retailer who sold the winning ticket, and the date they won and the amount of the winnings, including gross and net installment payments.
A portion of the sales goes toward public services and programs supported by lotteries nationwide, according to Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chair and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director.
"If you bought a Powerball ticket during this jackpot run, please know that a portion of that ticket will stay in your home state to make it a better place to live," Svitko said in a statement released Thursday by Powerball.
The California Lottery raised more than $USD100 million ($158 million) for public education as the Powerball jackpot continued to increase since it was last won over the summer.
More than 130 million Powerball tickets were sold in the state during this lottery sequence, the California Lottery said.
And for every $US2 dollar ticket told, about 80 cents go toward supporting public school funding, the state lottery said.
Wednesday's lucky winner clutched the Powerball jackpot on its 36th drawing since the previous win in July, defying slim odds.
The chance to win the jackpot is 1 in 292.2 million, Powerball said.
The drawing also marked the first time in Powerball's history that back-to-back cycles have generated billion-dollar grand prizes, Powerball said.
And the Golden State seems to be on a pretty lucky trend: The last time a player hit the Powerball jackpot was also in California, a single ticket snatched $USD1.08 billion ($1.7 billion) prize in July.
The state is also home to the largest Powerball jackpot win in the game's history.
A ticket won a record $USD2.04 billion ($3.2 billion) in November 2022.
Wednesday made other people rich, too.
Winner of $750k jackpot bought a single $1 ticket
Two tickets sold in Arizona and Pennsylvania won $USD2 million each after matching the first five numbers and purchasing the prize multiplier feature, Powerball said in the news release.
Another 121 tickets won $USD50,000 prizes, and 24 tickets won $USD100,000 prizes.
