A winning Powerball ticket was sold in California, with the lucky $400 million winner taking home the fourth-highest jackpot in the game’s 22-year history.
The winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn late on Wednesday night — 1, 17, 35, 49, 54, and 34. Powerball officials said it was sold in Milpitas, California, but so far they haven’t released information about the big winner.
Whoever the $400 million Powerball winner might be, the person overcame gigantic odds. The official odds of winning are 1 in 175 million.
The Powerball winning ticket also brought an end to a long streak without winners . The last time someone hit all the Powerball numbers was the Christmas Day drawing.
The search for the Powerball winner is already on. Reporters have contacted the Milpitas Chevron gas station where the ticket was sold, but the employee who answered said he hadn’t heard from lottery officials yet.
The new winner may be filthy rich, but still isn’t the largest single Powerball winner. In May 2013, an 84-year-old woman took home $590 million before taxes, though she opted for the lump sum payment of close to $371 million.
There was another big winner back in August. After the Powerball jackpot swelled to $448 million, a trio of winners hit it big.
Some big changes in the Powerball format have led to bigger jackpots. Within the past two years, the price of tickets rose to $2 from $1, and the nation’s largest state, California, joined the game. There are now 43 states plus the District of Columbia involved in the lottery.
The $400 million Powerball winner will get a single check for $227.9 million if they choose the lump sum payment.
