A lucky California ticketholder has won the biggest prize in U.S. lottery history — a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot.
That’s the word from officials with the Multi-State Lottery Association, the organization behind Powerball. They announced the results on Tuesday, but not after several hours of drama and delays.
The drawing was originally scheduled for Monday at 10:59 p.m. EST, but was delayed by 10 hours because of what officials called a security-protocol issue. It took another few hours to reveal if anyone had won the jackpot.
The winner can opt for a lump-sum payment of $997.6 million — in essence, becoming a billionaire in an instant. Or they can opt for an annuity plan, spread over 30 payments.
The winning Powerball numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, plus 10 for the red Powerball itself.
