"Did a Casual Lottery Ticket Win KRW 1.5 Trillion?... Where Was the Biggest Jackpot Hit?"

Jackpot Ranks as 8th Largest in History After 44 Draws With No Winner

Lump-Sum Cash Option Worth 640.5 Billion KRW Before Taxes

A convenience store in the United States has produced a lottery winner of over 1 billion dollars.

Powerball lottery sold in the United States. Getty Images

According to the official Powerball announcement on August 13 (local time), a jackpot winner of 1.04 billion dollars (approximately 1.4762 trillion won) emerged in Illinois on August 12.

Powerball, which alongside Mega Millions dominates the U.S. lottery market, is priced at 2 dollars per ticket. This prize represents the largest Powerball payout of the year and the eighth-largest in history.

This amount accumulated as there were no first prize winners for 44 consecutive draws since May. Powerball explained that the rapid growth of the jackpot was driven by an increase in buyers due to the participation of the United Kingdom.

It is reported that the winning ticket was sold at the "Hy-Vee Gas Fresh and Fast" convenience store in Quincy, Illinois. The identity of the winner has not yet been confirmed.

The winning numbers drawn on this day were 4, 26, 66, 67, 69, and the Powerball number was 9.

The winner can choose to receive the prize in the form of an annuity or opt for a lump sum payment of 460.06 million dollars (approximately 640.5 billion won) before taxes.

The winnings are subject to a federal income tax withholding of 24%. An additional federal tax of 13% and an Illinois state income tax of 4.95% will also be applied.

This is the third time a Powerball jackpot winner has emerged in Illinois. The previous Illinois jackpot winner appeared 13 years ago, in March 2013. The prize at that time was 50 million dollars.

Stephen Durrell, chairman of Powerball, said, "Congratulations to the new Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois," and added, "As participation continues to rise in various markets, jackpots are growing larger and enthusiasm for the game is intensifying."

The largest Powerball prize in history was 2.04 billion dollars, won in California in November 2022. With the latest jackpot winner, the new jackpot will reset to 20 million dollars. The next drawing will be held on August 15.

Currently, Powerball lottery tickets cannot be purchased in Korea. U.S. lottery companies, including Powerball and Mega Millions, state that "even overseas visitors to the United States may purchase lottery tickets if they do so within a Powerball sales jurisdiction in the U.S.," but "proxy purchases via the internet or mail from overseas are prohibited."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.