California player wins $1.76bn Powerball jackpot

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million, Powerball says

A single ticket sold in California has won $1.76 billion (£1.4 billion) on the Powerball - the second-largest lottery jackpot in history.

The identity of the ticket holder has not been disclosed.

The winner has the choice of having the money paid out over 30 years, or receiving an estimated $774.1 million lump-sum payment.

The biggest ever win was $2.04 billion in November 2022. That ticket was also bought in California.

The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 292.2 million.

In comparison, the odds of being struck by lightning over the next year is 1 in 1.22 million, according to the US National Weather Service.

The winning ticket was purchased at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, 75 miles (120 km) north of Los Angeles, Powerball said.

Tickets cost $2 each and are sold across the US, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.

Huge billion dollar prizes have become more common as ticket prices have been raised.

The game has also been tweaked, with players now choosing five numbers from one to 69 instead of from one to 59 under the previous rules.

Players also select the Powerball - their sixth number - from one to 26, instead of the previous one to 35.

That decreases the chance of winning the grand prize from one in 175.2 million to the current one in 292.2 million.