There is now a name behind November’s record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot ticket. The California Lottery confirmed Tuesday, Feb. 14 that Edwin Castro was the sole winner of the November draw, which is the largest prize in U.S. lottery history. Castro purchased the winning ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena before hitting the Powerball jackpot after he matched all six numbers on the 41st draw of the rolling sequence. Castro reportedly opted to take the cash value of his prize money, in total $997.6 million before taxes, rather than choosing to go with 30 annual payments.
It seems that despite his newfound billionaire status, Castro is opting to keep out of the spotlight. The Powerball winner did not appear at the Tuesday press conference, and due to public disclosure laws, only a handful of relevant information – the full name and location of the retailer that sold the winning ticket, the date the jackpot was won, and the amount of winnings, as well as gross or net installment payment information – is required to be made public. Castro did, however, provide a written statement reacting to his big win.
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“As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system. The mission of the California Lottery, which is to provide supplemental funding for California public education – both public schools and colleges – makes this a huge win for the state,” Castro said. “As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, it’s gratifying to hear that, as a result of my win, the California school system greatly benefits as well.”
According to the California Lottery, California’s public schools will receive $156.3 million in supplemental funds, “the most ever earned in a single jackpot draw.” In a release, California Lottery Director Alva V. Johnson said, “we here at the California Lottery take a tremendous amount of pride in our mission – which is to raise and reliably deliver supplemental funding for public education. Those funds are being used to elevate student learning experiences across the state.”
Additionally, Joe’s Service Center received a $1 million bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket. Castro certainly struck some luck by winning the Powerball jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are 292,201,338-to-1, per USA Today. The California Lottery said that in addition to Castro’s big jackpot, 11.2 million tickets won cash prices associated with the Nov. 7 drawing.
