Springing for a nice payday!
A California Powerball lottery player won the estimated $527 million jackpot on Saturday night, only the second time the game’s largest prize was awarded in 2025.
The winning numbers were 7, 11, 21, 53, 61, and the red Powerball of 2.
The unidentified winner can choose between the estimated $527 million jackpot paid out over 30 annual payments or a one-time lump sum of $243.8 million.
The lucky winner had a 1 in 292,201,338 chance of winning the grand prize
Saturday night’s win is the largest and only jackpot Powerball has handed out since Abbas Shafii of Oregon matched all six numbers for the $328.5 million drawing on Jan. 18, 2025.
Shafii, a 79-year-old resident of Beaverton, Ore. chose the lump sum worth $146.4 million, the lottery announced.
“I am overjoyed to have won the Powerball and plan to use my prize to travel, invest and share my good fortune with non-profit organizations that are close to my heart,” Shafii said.
In 2024, nine jackpot-winning tickets were sold, the most in a year since 2018, beginning with a $842.4 million ticket sold in Michigan on New Year’s Day.
Laos native Cheng “Charlie” Saephan stole the show when he won the $1.326 billion pot on April 6, 2024, the fourth-largest prize in the game’s history.
The 46-year-old Portland resident, who has been battling cancer for 8 years chose to split the lump sum of $425.2 million with his wife and their friend.
Californian Edwin Castro still holds the title for the largest Powerball win in history, winning the $2.04 billion pool on Nov. 7, 2022.
He chose the $997.6 million payout.
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