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What We Know About That $2 Billion Powerball Ticket Sold In Altadena

A hand with light skin coming from a blue jacket sleeve holds a handful of Powerball lottery tickets with an orange border and a yellow center with black numbers lined up in six rows in front of a blurry background.
The $2 billion winning lottery ticket was sold in Altadena.
(
Justin Sullivan
/
Getty Images
)

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The California Lottery announced Tuesday morning that the sole winning ticket had been sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena.

How The Prize Got This Big

The prize ballooned to a record $2.04 billion bucks after Powerball went three months without a top prize winner. The original drawing was set for Monday night but had to be delayed until Tuesday morning because one of the participating lotteries needed additional time to complete the required security protocols.

What Were The Lucky Numbers?

10-33-41-47-56-Power 10. According to lottery officials, the odds of drawing this billionaire-making combo were 1 in 292.2 million.

Let’s Talk Cash Money

If the ticket holder takes the lump sum payout, they’ll take home $997.6 million. If they’re looking for that full, cool $2 billion, they can choose to receive the jackpot in annuity payments distributed over 29 years.

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That’s A Lot Of Money

Yes, and it’s the first time someone in California became (technically) a billionaire through the lottery. CA Lottery officials urge the winner to keep the ticket safe, to seek financial advice, and hire a lawyer. They point to this handbook from the CA lottery to help winner(s) .

What About The Store Owners?

Joe and Danny Chahayed have been in business at that location for 20 yrs. At a morning news conference at the location, Joe Sr. said he will share the store’s bonus for selling the winning ticket — $1 million — his family and his 11 grandchildren. He and his son hope the winning ticket was purchased by one of their regulars.

Who Benefits In California

The state’s public schools. This particular drawing will yield $156 million for state schools, a state lottery official announced at a news conference held at Joe’s Service Center Tuesday morning.

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But even as lotto sales have skyrocketed, bolstered by a wave of gigantic jackpots, schools haven’t seen much of a return on that investment. A 2018 LAist investigation found contributions to education by the lottery are essentially unchanged in 12 years, even though revenues are up by billions.

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