Following the news that Saturday’s top prize had been won, California Lottery announced that the winning entry was purchased at the Marietta Liquor and Deli store in the Sun City area of Menifee. The shop’s owner, Matthew Alberre, does not know the identity of the winner, but was pleased that his family would be benefiting from a $1 million bonus for selling the lucky playslip: "We're so blessed for this to happen," Alberre told reporters, before adding: “We're very, very grateful for this to happen to our store."
Home to around 4,700 properties, Sun City was developed in the 1960s to cater for residents over the age of 55. It is the hope of the community that the winner is local, with Armand Blais, president of the Sun City Civic Association's board, praying that the winner will be a generous soul: "We're hoping they're a parishioner and they'll bring us a check tomorrow," he said, stating that the area was in desperate need of a new church.
This has certainly been a prosperous year for Powerball players. In February, a participant from Indiana landed the state’s largest ever jackpot after winning a prize worth over $435.3 million. The victory was the first of 2017 and the seventh biggest in the game’s history, until it was toppled by this latest success story.
Despite its gigantic size, this most recent reward was still some way off matching Powerball’s biggest ever prize of $1.58 billion. The jackpot, which was finally felled in January 2016, was claimed by John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith from Melbourne Beach in Florida and Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills, California, with all three entrants taking home a $528.8 million share.
If this latest jackpot win has inspired you to take part in Powerball, Wednesday’s draw will be worth $40 million. So, if you would like to add your name to the long list of US lottery winners, you can pick your numbers online or play by visiting an authorised retailer in any of the 47 participating states or jurisdictions. Good luck!
