$478M Powerball Jackpot Won In Buford

BUFORD, GA — Someone in Buford has hit the jackpot, securing $478.2 million in Powerball's latest drawing.

Georgia Lottery results did not indicate where the single winning ticket was sold in Buford. The jackpot has been reset to $20 million.

The lucky winner on Wednesday matched all five white balls plus the red ball for the victory. The winning numbers were 2, 15, 27, 29 and 39, and the red ball was 20. The multiplier was 2x.

The cash value for the jackpot is $230.6 million, according to the Powerball results.

According to Powerball, the winner can choose between an annual prize of $478.2 million or a lump sum payment of $230.6 million - both options are before taxes are removed.

If the person selects the annual prize, one immediate amount will be paid out, followed by 29 yearly payments that will continue to increase by 5 percent.

Wednesday's drawing was the eighth time this year that someone has won the jackpot, according to Powerball.

Here's where Powerball jackpots have been won this year:

• Jan. 1 - $842.4 million – Michigan
• April 6 - $1.326 billion – Oregon
• May 6- $214.9 million – Florida
• June 10 - $226.6 million – New Jersey
• July 3 - $139.3 million – Ohio
• Aug. 12 - $213.8 million – Pennsylvania
• Aug. 19 - $44.3 million – California
• Oct. 23 - $478.2 million – Georgia

Additionally, two $1 million tickets were sold in Pennsylvania and Texas in Wednesday's drawing.

Online winning tickets expire 180 days from the drawing date, while instant ticket winners have 90 days from the expiration date to claim prizes. Instructions on how to receive prizes are here.

Georgia takes 5.75 percent in state taxes and 24 percent in federal taxes for winnings more than $5,000.

" The (Georgia Lottery Corporation) reports to the IRS and Georgia Department of Revenue the names of winners of prizes above $600. ... Additionally, the GLC is required to check for and deduct any outstanding child support payments for prizes of $2,500 and above and student loans and state taxes for prizes of $5,000 and above, net of wager or ticket cost," lottery officials said on the Georgia Lottery website.

Playing the Powerball costs $2, and drawings are held at 11 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are sold until 10 p.m. on draw nights. Power Plays cost an additional $1.

Players can choose five white ball numbers from 1-69 and a red Powerball number from 1-26. The Quik Pik option is available for players who want the computer to choose.

The odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, while the odds of overall winning are 1 in 24.9.

The next Powerball drawing is at 11 p.m. Saturday.