News writer
The second-largest jackpot in U.S. history was a Powerball jackpot of $1.765 billion, which was won on October 11, 2023. The winning numbers were 22, 24, 40, 52, 64, and Powerball number 10. Fast-forward five months, and finally, the California Lottery has revealed who bought the winning ticket.
The winning Powerball ticket, which was purchased at Midway Market & Liquor located at 6032 Frazier Mountain Park Road in Frazier Park, was bought by Theodorus Struyck, who represents the group of winners. The identities of the other winners are not known. However, Frazier Park locals describe Struyk as a 65-year-old man who lives only 500 yards from the store where the winning Powerball ticket was purchased.
In an interview with the KGET news station, Struyck's neighbor Mary Dreier said:
He's just really pleasant to have around. I noticed yesterday he put up that Posted: No Trespassing sign.
Everyone's a winner
In a press release at the time of the jackpot win, California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima said:
Announcing big wins like this gives all of our players the chance to hope and dream that they could be next. But it also gives us an opportunity to shine the spotlight on our terrific mission, which is to generate additional, supplemental funding for public education in California.
The $1.765 billion jackpot win came during the 36th rollover for that Powerball sequence. Not only was this great news for the winners, but it also meant that California students had a big win because the California Lottery raised an additional $119.5 million for public schools.
The family who owns the Frazier Park Midway Market where the ticket was purchased are also winners. They received a $1 million bonus for selling the winning ticket. In an interview with Fox 11, the co-owner Nidal "Andy" Khalil said that initially, he couldn't believe that his store had sold the winning ticket.
I did not believe it at first and then I started getting calls and text messages from friends and realized it was true.
California reaps the biggest jackpots
The $1.765 billion Powerball jackpot was second only to the breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot of 2022, which was also won in California. Lottery players in the Golden State have won or shared a win of the top four largest Powerball jackpots in the history of the game, dating back to 2016. Each of them was worth more than $1 billion.
This Monday's drawing
The next Powerball drawing will be held on Monday, March 18, 2024. The current jackpot stands at an estimated $645 million. That's a cash value of $307,300,000. Tonight's drawing will take place at 10.59 p.m. Eastern Time.
Good luck playing in tonight's Powerball drawing, and please remember to play responsibly.
