Michigan ticket wins the $842.2 million Powerball jackpot
By CNN
A ticket sold in Michigan matched all six numbers to win the estimated $842.2 million Powerball jackpot during Monday night’s New Year’s Day drawing. The lucky winner, who will start the new year as a millionaire, will be eligible for a one-time payment of approximately US$425.2 million, before taxes, Powerball reported in a press release.
The winning numbers for Monday’s drawing were 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and Powerball 1. The ticket sales pushed the jackpot past its previous estimate of $810 million, making it the fifth-largest Powerball jackpot and the 10th-largest US lottery jackpot ever won, according to Powerball.
“It was also the first time a Powerball jackpot has been won on New Year’s Eve since the game’s inception in 1992,” Powerball said in a news release. The Powerball jackpot had grown after weeks without any grand prize winners.
In addition to the jackpot winner, several tickets matched the first five numbers to win big prizes on Monday. Tickets from California, Connecticut, Florida, and Maryland won $1 million each. Two other tickets, sold in Texas and Florida, won prizes of $2 million because their tickets included the Power Play feature, according to the Powerball website.
“What an amazing start to the New Year for Powerball!” said Powerball’s Drew Svitko. “In addition to our big jackpot winner, there are hundreds of good causes supported by US lotteries that will receive more funding thanks to this jackpot. Thank you to our players for making it possible! Happy New Year.”
The jackpot was last won on October 11, when a ticket from California fetched a staggering $1.76 billion. So far, no one has come forward to claim their prize, and they have one year from now to do so. If no one shows up, the money will go to California public schools, according to Carolyn Becker, a spokeswoman for the state lottery.
The overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 24.9, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.