Winning Powerball ticket worth $429M sold in NJ

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The sole winner of the $429.6 million Powerball jackpot has yet to come forward to claim the prize, as the New Jersey store that sold the winning ticket celebrates.

Only one ticket matched all six Powerball numbers in Saturday night's drawing. The winning numbers were 5-25-26-44-66 and the Powerball number was 9. Lottery officials in New Jersey said Sunday the ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in the state capital of Trenton. It was purchased as a cash ticket and is valued at $284 million.

"Congratulations to 7-Eleven for selling this winning ticket and to the fortunate ticketholder who purchased the ticket," said Carole Hedinger, New Jersey Lottery executive director. "We look forward to meeting the winner of this record-setting jackpot."

The jackpot is the sixth-largest in Powerball jackpot history, and the largest single jackpot winning ticket sold in New Jersey.

Luis Sandoval said he didn't believe it when his co-workers told him that he had sold the winning ticket.

"When they texted me, I thought they were messing with me," Sandoval told NJ.com. "But then my second co-worker told me the same thing, I was blown away." Sandoval, who has worked at the 7-Eleven for two years, said he has no idea who the winner might be.

The jackpot Saturday was the largest since a record $1.6 billion payout in January. That jackpot was shared by three winning tickets.

Only one winning ticket will claim Saturday night's prize, though it was not immediately known if that ticket was held by one person or multiple people.

This isn't the first time Powerball luck has struck in New Jersey. In 2013, a sole ticket claimed a $383 million Powerball jackpot.

Seven tickets from Saturday night's drawing matched five numbers and claimed $1 million, including three in New York, two in Illinois and one apiece in California and Virginia.

Powerball is played in 44 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The odds of winning are one in 292.2 million.

The New Jersey Lottery said it will hold a press conference on Monday morning at the 7-Eleven to discuss the details of the winning ticket.

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Associated Press writer David Aguilar, in Chicago, contributed to this report.


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