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Powerball ticket sold in Kern County wins $1.76 billion jackpot

Bonanza is the second-largest in U.S. history and the second back-to-back billion-dollar prize

Jason Green, breaking news reporter, San Jose Mercury News, for his Wordpress profile. (Michael Malone/Bay Area News Group)
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FRAZIER PARK, CALIF. – A single ticket sold in Kern County claimed the $1.76 billion Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, but the Bay Area did not go home empty-handed.

The grand prize, the second-largest in U.S. history, has an estimated cash value of $774.1 million.

The jackpot-winning ticket, which matched white balls 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and red Powerball 10, was sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, about 6½ miles west of Interstate 5’s Grapevine section.

Two tickets matching all five white balls were sold at MLS Mini Mart in Santa Clara and at Atlantic Wine & Spirit in Monterey Park (Los Angeles County). The Santa Clara and Monterey Park tickets won $760,000 each, lottery officials said.

Lottery officials said Wednesday night’s drawing generated more than 5.3 million winning tickets across the country, including five tickets in Florida, New York, Oklahoma and Virginia that also matched all five white balls to win $1 million prizes. In California, prize payout amounts are pari-mutuel and determined by sales and the number of winners.

Two tickets sold in Arizona and Pennsylvania matched all five white balls and increased the $1 million prize to $2 million by including the Power Play feature for an additional $1 per play. In addition, 24 tickets won $100,000 prizes and 121 won $50,000 prizes.

The jackpot was initially listed at $1.73 billion, but final ticket sales pushed the sum to $1.76 billion, lottery officials said.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball billionaire and the millions of Powerball players who won other cash prizes in last night’s drawing,” said Drew Svitko, Powerball product group chairman and Pennsylvania Lottery executive director, in a statement.

The $2.04 billion jackpot won last November in California still ranks as the largest jackpot on record.

Wednesday’s drawing, which took place just before 8 p.m., was the 36th in the latest jackpot run, lottery officials said, adding that it was the first time in Powerball history that back-to-back jackpot cycles have generated billion-dollar grand prizes. A ticket in California won the previous $1.08 billion jackpot on July 19.

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