The sole winner of November’s $2.04 billion (Rs 16,590 crore) powerball lottery, the richest in US history, has been revealed.
According to its Twitter handle, California Lottery officials announced at a news conference on Tuesday that Edwin Castro won the Powerball jackpot and chose the lump sum payoff of $997.6 million. Aside from his name, no further information was disclosed at the press conference. According to CNN, Mr Castro acquired the winning ticket in early November in Altadena, California, matching all six numbers in the drawing.
A lottery winner’s name and other relevant information is made public under California disclosure requirements. However, there are certain restrictions. According to USA Today, state regulations only permit the publishing of a person’s entire name. According to lottery organisers, the winner has one year from the date of the draw to come forward and claim the prize. Mr Castro, though, declined the invitation to appear publicly.
“As one might expect, everyone wishes to stay mainly private. We extend our heartfelt congratulations on this incredible and historic victory “California Lottery Director Alva Johnson stated during a press conference on Tuesday. The officials also read a written statement supplied by the lottery winner, in which he expressed his “astonishment and ecstasy” at winning.
The Powerball jackpot, revealed in November of last year, was the largest ever gathered, exceeding the unclaimed $1.6 billion reward. Following the announcement of the winning ticket, the service centre that sold the golden ticket received a $1 million Powerball bonus.
According to USA Today, Powerball is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Each ticket is $2.00. The probability of winning the Powerball jackpot is one in 292.2 million.