A single ticket sold in California has won a huge lottery jackpot of almost 700 million US dollars (£514 million).
The ticket matched all six numbers in the Powerball following 40 drawings without a big winner.
The winning numbers were 12, 22, 54, 66 and 69. The Powerball was 15.
Thanks to nearly four months of futility and final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot had climbed to 699.8 million US dollars, making it the seventh largest in US lottery history.
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
Advertisement— California Lottery (@calottery) October 5, 2021
No one had won the game’s grand prize since June 5.
According to California Lottery’s Twitter account, the winner was from Morro Bay.
The 41st drawing set a record, topping the previous mark of 36 drawings that ended in January 2021. The longer the game goes without a grand prize winner, the larger the payout will grow.
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.
The Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
