Who won the $1.08 billion Powerball lottery jackpot?

Attention, you jackpot dreaming Americans! Gather ‘round, for the Powerball magic has struck again! Drumroll, please! Yes, we’ve got a winning ticket in sunny California, worth a whopping estimated $1.08 billion! Can you believe it? We wait and wait and then once the billion dollar barrier is breached, boom!

What were the $1bn Powerball lottery jackpot numbers?

Now, let’s break it down a bit. This is the sixth-largest jackpot in the entire history of the United States! Those lucky numbers for the Wednesday night drawing were absolutely divine: 7, 10, 11, 13, 24, and the magical red Powerball 24. Can you just imagine the excitement of seeing those digits matching on your ticket?

And where was the lucky ticket sold? Oh, right in the heart of the City of Angels, Los Angeles, baby! At the fabulous Las Palmitas Mini Market, no less. You’ve got to wonder if their shelves are stacked with luck, right?

The excitement was so immense that the jackpot grew beyond anyone’s wildest dreams! Initially estimated at $1 billion, it rose to an even tastier $1.08 billion by the time of the drawing. Talk about hitting the jackpot jackpot! It leaped from being the seventh largest to claiming its rightful place as the sixth largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. But we still don’t know who the lucky person is...

Note too that there were almost five million other prize winners!

Powerball jackpot billion: how to collect

Now, dear winner, you have a tough decision to make: Would you rather bask in the glory of yearly installments, feeling like you’re celebrating your birthday every year, or would you go all-in with a jaw-dropping, heart-stopping, $558.1 million lump sum (before taxes, of course)? Oh, the choices!

Let’s talk about those odds for a moment. The game’s designers might have had a twinkle in their eye when they set the odds at 1 in 292.2 million. It’s like the universe daring you to defy the odds and claim the crown! Those astronomical chances are all part of the master plan to create heart-stoppingly colossal prizes that beckon even the most skeptical players.

Since April 19, when a lucky soul claimed a top prize of nearly $253 million, the Powerball gods have been playing coy. No one else had won the grand prize, leaving the rest of us dreaming and wishing upon a star for our moment in the spotlight.

So, here’s to the lucky Californian winner! May you bask in your newfound fortune and turn your dreams into reality. And for the rest of us, fear not, for the Powerball enchantment shall continue to weave its magic, beckoning us with its siren call of hope and riches! The next winner might just be you! Keep those fingers crossed and those tickets close at hand. The Powerball fairy might be smiling upon you next!

Remembering Edwin Castro, the $2bn Powerball lottery winner

Last November, Edwin Castro was the sole winner of a historic $2.04bn Powerball jackpot, although it wasn’t until February that the Californian received his lottery money, having opted to accept the prize in a lump-sum payment of $997.6m. Since then, his life has changed completely.

Castro has bought a $25m mansion in the Hollywood hills, and now lives alongside stars from the movie and music industries. The 30-year-old has also purchased a $4m house in his home city of Altadena, California, as well as a Porsche valued at around $250,000. Regularly spotted on the streets of Los Angeles, Castro doesn’t go anywhere without at least three bodyguards. He now fears for his security, so in April he hired a team to protect him and his properties. In the most recent photo that has emerged of Castro, he could be seen leaving a branch of Chase bank in the company of a bodyguard.

Lawsuit claims Castro didn’t buy winning ticket

In February, another California man, José Rivera, filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court in Alhambra, claiming that he - not Castro - had bought the winning ticket for November’s draw. Rivera alleges that the ticket was stolen from him. However, the California State Lottery remains adamant that Castro is the rightful recipient of the bumper jackpot.

“When it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so,” the body told TMZ.