The owner of a downtown Los Angeles market was surprised when he found out he sold the winning Powerball ticket.
Los Angeles has a new billionaire.
A single ticket won the $1 billion jackpot, the third-largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The winning numbers in Wednesday's draw were 7, 13, 10, 24, 11 and the red Powerball 24. The Power Play was x2.
The ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles, according to the California Lottery website.
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The prize is the sixth largest in United States history and the third largest in the history of the game.
The winner of the ticket has the option of receiving the $1.08 billion jackpot in 30 installments, or a lump sum payment of $558.1 million. The owner of La Palmitas Mini Market will get up to $1 million for selling the winning ticket.
Nabor Herrera is the owner of the store, located at the corner of 12th and Wall streets, near Skid Row.
“It's a big surprise for us,” says Herrera, who is originally from Chiapas, México. “We are trying to still believe this, because it is great news and not everyone can handle it. Imagine the person who earned it.”
Herrera said his customer base are workers in downtown.
“My customers are regulars,” Herrera said. “They are consistent because they are from this area."
Herrera has run the store for seven years and in the past, he said he has sold tickets worth up to $106,000. But last night’s winnings will give him $1 million exactly for selling that winning Powerball ticket. He plans to reinvest that money into his store and spend it with his family, including taking a vacation.
As of this morning, the winner of the ticket is still unknown, but during a press conference, California Lottery officials said people claiming to win are carefully vetted, so the identity of the winner can take months.
Carolyn Becker of the California Lottery said winners must come forward to a state lottery office with the ticket, which must be verified.
“They have to claim their prize, then we have to spend time vetting the winner to make sure it is the right person,'' she said. "Integrity and transparency are incredibly important to us, so we will probably not know for months and months. They have up to a year to come forward.''
The prize is the third Powerball sold in Los Angeles.
The largest lottery jackpot in US history totals $2.04 billion and was won on a single Powerball ticket in California on November 7, 2022.
The winner, Edwin Castro, was presented earlier this year after months of speculation.
