$1 Million Winning Powerball Ticket Sold In CT: Check Your Tickets

CONNECTICUT — A California resident is waking up $1 billion richer Thursday morning, but a Connecticut resident is also waking up $1 million richer after securing a pretty decent consolation prize in last night's $1 billion Powerball jackpot drawing.

The Connecticut Lottery said 60,529 "winning" tickets were sold across the state for the July 19 Powerball drawing. This means someone won between $4 and $1 million.

One, $1 billion winning ticket was sold in California, according to lottery officials.

The winning Powerball numbers are drawn every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, with Powerball results usually posted within 5 minutes. Ticket sales end at least one hour before the drawing in most states, but a state may halt sales earlier.

The winning Powerball numbers for Wednesday, July 19, are: 07, 10, 11, 13, 24 and the Powerball of 24.

In Connecticut, 60,529 "winning" tickets were sold and here is the breakdown from the Connecticut Lottery:

• 1 person won $1 million
• 1 person won $100,000
• 1 person won $50,000
• 101 people won $200
• 124 people won $100
• everyone else won between $4 and $14

The Powerball jackpot was last won in the April 19, 2023, drawing, when a ticket in Ohio matched all five white balls and the red Powerball to win a grand prize worth $252.6 million. Since then, there have been 33 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.

The largest Powerball jackpot in history was $2.04 billion, which was claimed by a single winner in California in November 2022.

Here are the top 10 largest Powerball prizes in the game's history:

1. $2.04 Billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – CA
2. $1.586 Billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – CA, FL, TN
3. $768.4 Million – March 27, 2019 – WI
4. $758.7 Million – Aug. 23, 2017 – MA
5. $754.6 Million – Feb. 6, 2023 - WA
6. $731.1 Million – Jan. 20, 2021 – MD
7. $699.8 Million – Oct. 4, 2021 – CA
8. $687.8 Million – Oct. 27, 2018 – IA, NY
9. $632.6 Million – Jan. 5, 2022 – CA, WI
10. $590.5 Million – May 18, 2013 – Florida

To win the Powerball jackpot, a player must match all five white balls in any order and the red Powerball number. The odds of picking the correct Powerball grand prize numbers are one in 292,201,338, which doesn't change even if more players buy tickets when the jackpot is enormous.

You have a better chance of winning the Powerball jackpot if you let the computer select your numbers, according to lottery officials. About 75 percent of winning tickets over the years had numbers picked by a computer.

Winners can choose to either have the full jackpot amount paid out in 30 installments over 29 years, or winners can take one lump sum payment that is smaller than the actual total.Powerball tickets cost $2 each. Find locations where you can buy your Powerball tickets here.

Lottery officials have advice for whoever has the winning numbers:

1. Sign your winning ticket. Write your full name and signature on the back of the winning ticket. If you lose your ticket, having your name on the ticket means that no one else will be able to cash it in.
2. Keep your winning ticket in a safe place. Take steps to protect your winning lottery ticket by putting it somewhere safe where it won't accidentally get thrown out.
3. Get legal and financial advice. It might be wise to talk to some experienced professionals such as a lawyer, an accountant, or an investment advisor to help manage your winnings. The winning Powerball numbers are drawn every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time, with Powerball results usually posted within 5 minutes.