Winning tickets in the nearly $US1.6-billion Powerball lottery were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee, officials say, leaving at least three people to split the record-setting jackpot.
California Lottery officials confirmed that the winning six numbers had been purchased at a convenience store outside Los Angeles, as well as at locations in Florida and Tennessee. The identity of the winners was not yet known.
Lottery officials said it could be several hours before it is known whether there are other winners in the 44 states, Washington, DC and two US territories where Powerball is played.
The six winning numbers were 08, 27, 34, 04, 19 and Powerball 10. They were picked during a late Wednesday draw for the $US1.586 billion prize at lottery offices in Tallahassee, Florida.
In Chino Hills, a suburb east of Los Angeles, crowds descended on a 7-Eleven store where the winning ticket had been bought, snapping pictures and congratulating staff. The store will receive a $US1-million bonus for selling the ticket.
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The odds of picking a winning combination were 1 in 292 million.
The prospect of a huge payout sparked a ticket-buying frenzy that was expected to reach a rate of $US1.3 million per minute during the evening commuter rush hour, Gary Grief, executive director of the Texas lottery, told a news conference.
For every $1 worth of Powerball sales, half goes to prizes, 40 per cent to causes such as education, and 10 per cent to retailers who sell the tickets and other administrative costs, Grief said.
