Winning Powerball ticket worth $699.8M sold in Morro Bay
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Someone in San Luis Obispo County just got $699.8 million richer.
A single ticket sold in California matched all the numbers in Monday's Powerball drawing to win the $699.8 million jackpot, lottery officials announced.
The winning Powerball ticket was sold at the Albertsons at 730 Quintana Road in Morro Bay, according to the California Lottery website.
California, we have a winner! 🎉Congratulations to our lucky player from Morro Bay who matched 6/6 numbers and won the $699.8 Million #Powerball jackpot in the Monday, October 4 draw. Thank you to all our players who played. #CALottery pic.twitter.com/U8MMEH1fht
— California Lottery (@calottery) October 5, 2021
The winning numbers were 12, 22, 54, 66 and 69. The Powerball was 15.
"It's unbelievable!" said Carolyn Stoebig, outside the store Tuesday morning. "It's unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable. It's just fantastic and I'm just so happy for whoever won it."
The Morro Bay resident was one of many people across the city marveling at the thought of such a big prize being won in their city.
"I think it's great," said Morro Bay resident Brian Rains. "It's great for the town. It's great for everybody. I hope they enjoy it."
Thanks to nearly four months of futility, the Powerball jackpot has climbed to an estimated $685 million, making it the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history. No one has won the game’s grand prize since June 5.
"The jackpot ranks as the 5th largest in Powerball history and the 7th largest jackpot in U.S. lottery history," lottery officials said in a statement. "Due to final ticket sales, the jackpot climbed beyond earlier estimates to a staggering $699.8 million at the time of the drawing with a cash option of $496 million."
Five tickets matched five numbers, but not the red Powerball. Those tickets are worth $1 million each and were sold in Arizona, Florida, Virginia and two were sold in Massachusetts.
According to lottery officials, the winner will have one year to claim the prize.
The will will have the the option of taking a lump sum payment of exactly $495,980,157, or the entire jackpot amount in 30 graduated payments over 29 years.
The winnings are subject to federal government taxes, but California does not collect state or local taxes on Lottery prizes.
The jackpot drought is by design, as the game's long odds of 292.2 million to one are intended to generate massive prizes that draw more players.
Lottery officials are quick to note that even as no one wins the jackpot, plenty of people have won smaller prizes, including 2.8 million players in Saturday's drawing alone. Those winnings ranged from $1 million to $4.
California state lottery officials added schools will receive an estimated $78 million, while Albertsons will earn a $1 million retailer bonus for selling the winning ticket.
Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
To claim a winning ticket, you can visit www.calottery.com/claim-a-prize.
