Single winning Powerball ticket sold for world-record US$2.04B jackpot

One lucky person’s life just changed forever — a winning ticket has been sold for the record-setting Powerball jackpot.

The California Lottery announced on Tuesday that the winning ticket for the US$2.04-billion Powerball jackpot was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, Calif. The ticket matched all six numbers: 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and the Powerball, 10.

Finally, after 41 draws, a lucky Powerball ticketholder stands to be the winningest person in lottery history.

The Powerball jackpot will be paying out the largest national lottery jackpot in world history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. And it’s beating its own record. Powerball previously held the record for largest jackpot when it paid out a grand prize of $1.586 billion in 2016.

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Now, when you go to the lottery’s website, a counter that once displayed a number that could buy an NBA team has reset for its next cycle — the estimated value of the Powerball lottery now standing at a comparatively paltry $20 million.

Powerball winners have the option of claiming the full prize through an annuity, paid annually over 29 years, but most winners opt for the cash option paid out immediately, which in this case is $997.6 million — still a mind-boggling payday.

The 41st Powerball draw was supposed to take place on Monday night, but was delayed until Tuesday morning because one state’s lottery needed “additional time to process its sales and play data,” the Multi-State Lottery Association said.

“Powerball requires all 48 participating lotteries to submit their sales and play data prior to the winning numbers being selected. Once Powerball receives the outstanding submission, the drawing can proceed,” the Multi-State Lottery Association said at the time.

The Minnesota Lottery said it was to blame for the delay due to a technical issue, according to Good Morning America.