California – Three-Month Jackpot Run Generated Nearly $70 Million for California Public Schools
It’s been a mystery for more than four months, but the waiting and wondering is over. The California Lottery is thrilled to announce the winner of the massive $316.3 million Powerball prize from a jackpot hit back on January 5 with a ticket sold in Sacramento.
Orlando Zavala Lozano picked up the incredibly lucky ticket at the 7-Eleven on the corner of Wyndham Drive and Valley Hi Drive in Sacramento when the jackpot was $632.6 million! Only his and one other ticket sold out of state matched all six numbers that night, so Lozano splits the top prize with a couple from Wisconsin who came forward back in February. Together, theirs was the 7th largest prize in Powerball history.
Lozano has elected to take the lump sum, still worth an enormous $225.1 million (before federal taxes). Jackpot winners in California have the choice between the lump sum or annuity payments that, invested over time, ultimately amount to the advertised jackpot.
Another big winner is California public education! It’s estimated the three-month jackpot sequence (40 draws altogether) leading up to Lozano’s win generated more than $67.8 million for schools.
“Every dollar or more that a Lottery player spends in California supports our mission to raise money for public education,” said Alva V. Johnson, Director of the California State Lottery. “And the local stores that sell our games – our more than 23,000 retail partners across the state – benefit too from commissions and bonuses. So, whether a player hits a big jackpot, wins a smaller prize, or doesn’t win any cash at all – rest assured it’s still a win-win for the community and for California.”
The 7-Eleven where Lozano picked up his ticket received a $1 million bonus just for selling a jackpot-winning ticket.
“Foot traffic has increased along with sales since we sold the winning ticket,” said 7-Eleven store owner Harprit Dhillon. “Lottery games are great for small businesses, and we love selling them.”
Powerball tickets are $2 each and can be bought until 7 p.m. on the day of the draw. Drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 7:59 p.m. Pacific time in Tallahassee, Florida. Tickets are sold in 45 states, as well as in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338, no matter how high the jackpot gets. Overall odds of winning any prize are 1 in 25.