The Southern California winner of last summer’s $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot has been revealed on Friday.
The winning ticket was purchased in July 2023 by Yanira Alvarez at the Las Palmitas Mini Market located at 1205 Wall Street in downtown Los Angeles near the Skid Row neighborhood.
Her win ended a 39-draw jackpot run for Powerball and was the first of two back-to-back billion-dollar winning tickets sold in Southern California that year.
Alvarez had the option of receiving the $1.08 billion jackpot in 30 installments or a lump sum payment of $558.1 million. She chose to receive the lump sum.
Her prize is the sixth largest in United States history and the third largest in Powerball’s history, according to lottery officials.
About three months later in October 2023, a $1.7 billion Powerball ticket was sold at Midway Market in Frazier Park. A group of people was revealed to have won that prize.
In February 2022 after months of drawings, a winning ticket for the historic $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot was claimed by Los Angeles resident, Edwin Castro after he purchased the ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena.
The record-breaking 2023 jackpots raised around $197.9 million for California public schools.
“We can’t thank our players enough for their help in supporting California’s public schools,” said California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima. “Our mission is what drives us every day, and while jackpot prizes change lives for the big winners, they’re also making an important difference in the lives of students and teachers in classrooms across the state.”
Since 1985, the California Lottery has raised over $43.8 billion for public schools and funds for colleges and universities.
This Saturday’s Powerball jackpot on March 30 is projected to be $935 million with an estimated cash value of $449.7 million.
Powerball tickets are $2 and drawings take place every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 8 p.m. PT.
