Powerball - live: California winner of $2bn draw still hasn’t come forward as man who sold ticket gets $1m
Monday’s drawing was delayed until Tuesday due to ‘technical problem’
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Your support makes all the difference.The frenzied interest in winning the record-breaking Powerball jackpot came to a close after it was reported that only one ticket matched the numbers needed to win the more than $2bn grand prize.
As of Tuesday, the record-breaking Powerball jackpot had grown to $2.04bn, according to Powerball.
The latest update to the grand prize came after players waited eagerly for the results of Monday night’s drawing, only for the drawing to be delayed overnight after one of the 48 participating lotteries required “extra time to complete the required security protocols”.
On Tuesday, Powerball announced that the winning numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47, and 56, with a red Powerball 10.
Following the delayed drawing, which was shared on Powerball’s website and in a video uploaded to YouTube, California Lottery officials announced there was one winning ticket.
According to officials, the lucky ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
As players wait for the winner’s name to be released, the interest in the lottery, and its “technical” difficulties, have sparked a number of memes.
No one has yet claimed the $2bn grand prize as of Friday morning.
Follow along below for all of the updates and reactions to the record-breaking Powerball jackpot.
Interest in the Powerball jackpot has been high after the grand prize reached a record-breaking amount of $2.04bn this week.
The excitement over the prize only increased after the drawing to determine a winner on Monday night faced delays, with lottery officials unable to reveal the winning numbers until Tuesday morning.
According to the Multi-State Lottery Association, the delay was caused by one of the 48 participating lotteries, which required additional time to complete necessary security protocols. It did not specify which state.
“This has happened a few rare times before - just not when the jackpot was at a newsworthy amount,” the lottery association said while announcing the delay.
Following the delayed drawing on Tuesday, it was reported that at least one California ticket matched all six numbers.
“California Lottery makes its FIRST EVER Billionaire!” the official Twitter account for the California Lottery tweeted on Tuesday. “One lucky ticket sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena matched all six numbers in the 7 November #Powerball draw. The final jackpot amount for this draw came to $2.04 BILLION dollars.”
In a follow-up tweet, California Lottery officials revealed that the jackpot winner wasn’t the only lucky player in the state, as the latest drawing also saw an additional three tickets that matched all five numbers except the Powerball.
After California Lottery officials announced that only one player had bought the winning ticket, Twitter users are claiming that this year’s Powerball was rigged. This criticism comes after the drawing was delayed on Tuesday due to “technical” difficulties.
Lottery historian discusses the impact of delayed drawing
Lottery historian Jonathan D Cohen has shared his thoughts on the delayed drawing, during an interview with The Wall Street Journal, explaining that it could ultimately affect players’ trust in the Powerball game.
“Lotteries in general rely on cultivating players’ trust,” he said. “That’s why when there are scandals those attract so much attention.”
$2.04 billion jackpot won by single ticket
The California Lottery revealed on Tuesday that a single ticket had matched all six numbers in the 7 November Powerball draw. The winning ticket was purchased at a shop in Altadena.
Delayed drawing sparks memes about Powerball winner
Before the California Lottery revealed that a winning ticket was purchased, Twitter users poked fun at the delayed drawing, with people joking about lottery officials trying to pick a number that “didn’t match anyone’s” ticket.
Another meme has poked fun at the winning ticket by recreating the Powerball logo. On Twitter, one person jokingly wrote out the word “RIGGED” within a graphic of six balls, which is where the winning numbers would be listed.
On Tuesday morning, Twitter users also made jokes about the fact that the Powerball drawing was pushed to the same day as Election Day.
“Nothing like a suspicious 2 billion dollar Powerball scandal to bring the nation together on Election Day,” one person wrote.
“Let’s have a #Powerball glitch the night before election day 2022 to get the people talking. Throw in blood moon eclipse while you’re at it,” another wrote.
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