Yanira Alvarez has been identified as the winner of the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot.
After a wait of nearly eight months, the billionaire was finally announced this weekend. The ticket that made this person a billionaire was sold at the Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles back in July 2023.
Alvarez, who chose the numbers 7, 10, 11, 13, 24, and the red Powerball 24, decided to receive the $1.08 billion prize as a single payment.
After deciding to receive a lump sum, she ended up taking home approximately $558.1 million after taxes.
According to Angelica Menjivar, the stepdaughter of the store manager, the Powerball winner is described as a “Hispanic lady.”
“I spoke with Menjivar on Saturday, and he described the woman as an elderly Latina lady,” the New York Post reported.
In California, when someone wins the jackpot, they are required to disclose their name and location.
Alvarez chose to refrain from making any public statements regarding the announcement.
The California lottery utilizes funds from its drawings to support local schools, even though Alvarez won’t receive the full amount of her winnings.
California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima expressed deep gratitude to the players for their invaluable support in funding California’s public schools.
“Our mission is the driving force behind our daily efforts. While jackpot prizes have the power to transform the lives of fortunate winners, they also have a significant impact on students and teachers in classrooms throughout the state.”
California has produced three Powerball jackpot winners who have each won over a billion dollars. These winners include Edwin Castro, Theo Struyck, and now, Alvarez.
POWERBALL BILLIONAIRES
In early March, Struyck, the representative of the group that scored a massive $1.76 billion jackpot in October 2023, emerged as the victor of the second-largest prize in US history.
A 65-year-old grandfather from Frazier Park, a mountain town north of Los Angeles, purchased the ticket last October and is thought to have claimed the prize not long after.
According to friends and neighbors, he has been described as a humble family man.
According to neighbors, Struyck is not expected to spend his winnings extravagantly, unlike his fellow Powerball winner, Edwin Castro.
In November 2022, Castro, a former mechanic from Los Angeles, made history by winning an astounding $2.04 billion, the biggest lottery jackpot ever recorded in the United States.
Castro has been seen driving a variety of classic cars, such as Porsches and Volkswagens, since that time.
Castro, who is 32 years old, has gone as far as buying multiple high-end properties in the Los Angeles region. These include a lavish bachelor pad worth an impressive $25.5 million in the Hollywood Hills, as well as a $4 million residence in Altadena for his family.
10 Biggest US Lottery Winners
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- $2.04 billion – Edwin Casto – Powerball
- $1.765 billion – Theodorus Struyck – Powerball
- $1.59 billion – Split by three people – Powerball
- $1.58 billion – Saltine’s Holdings LLC – Mega Millions
- $1.54 billion – Anonymous – Mega Millions
- $1.35 billion – Anonymous – Mega Millions
- $1.34 billion – Anonymous – Mega Millions
- $1.13 billion – Unknown – Mega Millions
- $1.08 billion – Yanira Alvarez – Powerball
- $1.05 billion – FLL Club of Oakland County – Mega Millions
In 2016, three lucky individuals shared a massive $1.59 billion Powerball jackpot.
“At the time, Russ Lopez, a spokesman for the California Lottery, expressed his belief that $528 million would be sufficient for all of us to live on. Don’t you agree?”
Three individuals, hailing from California, Tennessee, and Florida, were involved in the incident, although their names were not disclosed.
