Powerball player in Illinois wins $1 billion jackpot | CNN Business

A winning ticket for Wednesday night’s $1.04 billion Powerball drawing was sold in Illinois, marking the largest grand prize since last year, according to the lottery. The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67, 69, and red Powerball 9, with a Power Play multiplier of 2. The ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy, roughly 100 miles west of Springfield in western Illinois. Store manager Jon Marshall began receiving phone calls and text messages early Thursday morning as word spread about the winning ticket. “I’ve been up since 3 a.m.,” Marshall told CNN affiliate WGEM. “(They are) asking me if I’m working today. I’m here working, so definitely not the winner.” The Hy-Vee gas station will receive a $500,000 cash bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket, according to the Illinois Lottery. The winner, who has not been identified and can remain anonymous in Illinois, can choose to receive an annuitized prize of $1.04 billion paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a lump sum payment estimated at $450.5 million. Both figures are before taxes. The winner has one year from the date of the drawing to claim the prize, the lottery said. “This is an ex