On November 7th, 2022, we saw history in action as the US Powerball was featuring a $2.04 Billion jackpot ($997.6 million cash)! It is not only Powerball’s biggest jackpot, but also the world’s biggest lottery pot!
This drawing saw the day of light after 40 consecutive draws offered no winner. It also marked the sixth time the Powerball jackpot was hit in 2022. The jackpot had been rolling over since August 3rd, 2022 and the winning numbers ended being: 10-33-41-47-56/10.
As you can imagine, frenzy was high over this amazing Powerball prize and this draw saw a few minor hiccups:
- Final ticket sales pushed the jackpot beyond its earlier estimate of $1.9 Billion and actually reached $2.04 Billion.
- The drawing was slightly delayed due to a technical issue (Minnesota’s lottery declared its sales verification system caused a processing delay, prompting the postponement of the drawing)
- Sale shops were not prepared for such an amount and had to improvise to feature the estimated jackpot amount.
This drawing also saw more than 11.2 million Powerball tickets winning prizes totaling $98.1 million including 23 tickets which matched all 5 main numbers but not the Powerball one. Out of these 23 second-tier winners, only a single one had selected the Power Play and, therefore, saw its prize double to $2 Million.
The new biggest Powerball winner now has the choice between the annuity of $2.04 Billion and the lump sum payment of $997.6 Million.
We should also mention that there were some unexpected winners in this drawing. For instance, the shop where the winning ticket was sold has received a million dollars.
The state also benefits from this jackpot through lottery ticket sales. We should add that California does not tax lottery winnings, no matter the amount.
Drew Svitko, Powerball’s Product Group Chair and Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director declared: “Congratulations, to the lucky ticket holder in California and the millions of other Powerball players who won other prizes in the drawing. On behalf of participating lotteries, I would like to thank our players who joined us on this historic jackpot run. A portion of every Powerball ticket purchased will stay in your state to support your local communities.”
We don’t know when the lucky winner will come forward but, as he purchased his ticket from California, he or she has 1 year to come forward.