Some people are about to get very rich! Three winning Powerball tickets for the $1.6 billion jackpot were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee, state lottery officials announced on Thursday, January 14.
The winning numbers drawn late Wednesday, January 13, were: 4, 8, 19, 27 and 34, with the Powerball being 10. The odds of winning were an astounding 1 in 292 million.
California's state lottery officials tweeted after the numbers were drawn, announcing that one of the tickets was sold in Chino Hills.
We have a winner in California! A jackpot-winning ticket was sold in Chino Hills. We’re still awaiting results from other states.
— California Lottery (@calottery) January 14, 2016
California also confirmed that two more winning tickets were sold in Tennessee and Florida. Those tickets were sold in the towns of Munford, Tennessee, and Melbourne Beach, Florida.
A dozen other tickets sold in California matched five out of the six numbers in the draw, meaning those ticket holders will receive a payout, too. The cities that sold those tickets are Nipton, Chula Vista, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Tustin, Pacoima, Vacaville, Cloverdale, Redlands, Gardena and Irwindale.
The winning ticket in Chino Hills, California, was sold at a 7-Eleven. CNN Money interviewed the franchise owner, who called the win "very exciting."
"I didn't expect this big crowd," said Balbir Atwal, who's been the proud owner of the spot for 24 years. "But my Chino Hills customers love me, and I love them." He will receive $1 million for selling the ticket.
The store clerk who sold the ticket, M. Faroqui, became an instant Internet celebrity after the news was revealed.
Chino Hills 7/11 is lit pic.twitter.com/uZGsnO5LDY
— celestttt✨ (@_cbeeezy) January 14, 2016
The momentum leading up to this moment has been building over the last two weeks. At the start of January, the grand prize was (only!) $400 million.
The payout from the $1.6 billion Powerball will be $929.9 million. Assuming all three winners step forward to claim the prize. Each will take home $187.2 million.
