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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The winner of the biggest U.S. lottery jackpot in historical past is a former scholar within the California public college system who desires to principally keep out of the highlight.
California lottery officers on Tuesday mentioned Edwin Castro received the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prize in November. However they could not say the rest about him. State legislation says Castro’s identify is within the public report, however nothing else is — together with his age and the place he lives.
The successful ticket was bought at Joe’s Service Middle in Altadena, an unincorporated group within the foothills northeast of Los Angeles. However California Lottery winners aren’t required to dwell within the state to win. Joe Chahayed, the proprietor of Joe’s Service Middle, bought a $1 million bonus for promoting the successful ticket.
Castro declined an invite from state officers to talk to reporters on Tuesday. As a substitute, he despatched a written assertion that mentioned he was “shocked and ecstatic” to have received the lottery. California’s lottery advantages public colleges, and Castro’s assertion recognized himself as “being educated within the California public training system.”
“It is gratifying to listen to that, on account of my win, the California college system significantly advantages as effectively,” he mentioned.
Winners can select to obtain their winnings over 30 annual funds or as a lump sum. State officers mentioned Castro selected the lump sum of $997.6 million.
Most individuals who win huge lottery jackpots attempt to maintain a low profile and keep away from publicity, California Lottery Deputy Director Carolyn Becker mentioned. However some states wish to announce winners publicly to “humanize” the lottery by reminding the general public that actual individuals win actual prizes.
The lottery that Castro received was the biggest in U.S. historical past as a result of it took so lengthy or somebody to decide on the proper mixture of six numbers to win the prize. The Powerball jackpot begins at $20 million and will increase every time there is no such thing as a winner. There have been greater than 40 consecutive drawings earlier than Castro’s numbers had been known as: 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, plus the purple Powerball was 10.
Becker mentioned all of these drawings raised $156.3 million for California public colleges, probably the most ever from a single jackpot. Altogether, the California Lottery collected $2 billion for public colleges of their most up-to-date fiscal 12 months.
“These numbers characterize guarantees stored since voters created the lottery in 1984 with the express function and intent to lift supplemental funding for public training,” California Lottery Director Alva Johnson mentioned.
Castro’s win implies that three of the ten largest lottery jackpots in U.S. historical past have come from tickets bought in California. The second-largest jackpot — $1.586 billion in 2016 — matched three tickets bought in California, Florida and Tennessee. A $699.8 million ticket, ok for the ninth largest jackpot ever, was bought in California in 2021.
State officers have Castro’s successful ticket. Becker mentioned they’re contemplating placing it on show on the lottery’s headquarters.
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