Lucky winner of the $754.6M Powerball jackpot in a Seattle suburb
One winning ticket to the $754.6 million Powerball jackpot was sold at a department store in suburban Seattle, Washington State Lottery officials said Tuesday.
The winning numbers drawn Monday night were 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 7.
The winning ticket was purchased Sunday at Fred Meyer's store in Auburn, about 30 miles south of Seattle, lottery officials said. The store gets a $50,000 bonus.
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The winner has not been determined.
This is the second time Powerball jackpot tickets have been sold in Washington state and both tickets have been purchased in Auburn. The first was the $90 million jackpot in 2014.
Lottery officials said another $1 million prize from a ticket purchased in November at Airway Heights near Spokane went unclaimed. Sweepstakes winners have 180 days to claim their prize.
Powerball officials said in a statement Tuesday morning that the ticket matched all six numbers and that ticket sales had increased the jackpot above its previous estimate of $747 million.
The full jackpot is for the winner who chooses an annuity distributed in direct but partial payouts followed by additional payouts over 29 years increasing at 5% annually. Winners can also choose to receive a one-time cash payout of US$407.2 million.
Both prices available are pre-tax amounts, says Powerball.
The expected jackpot for the next draw, which is scheduled for Wednesday, is $20 million, according to the lottery website.
Monday night's win was the first Powerball jackpot win since Nov. 19. This undefeated record saw the prize grow steadily until it became the ninth largest in US history.
Higher interest rates allow for increased annuity payments compared to the previous jackpot when interest rates were lower. Most winners prefer instant cash prizes.
The incredible game odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to create massive prizes that attract more players. This strategy definitely works these days: someone in Maine won a $1.35 billion Mega Millions prize in January, and a California player hit a record 2 Powerball jackpots last November, $04 billion. Nobody claims this prize.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as in Washington, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
