A man has won $1.3 billion in the Powerball lottery in the United States

The winning numbers drawn early Sunday morning were: 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and a red Powerball 9.

As of the last drawing, no one had won the Powerball jackpot since New Year's Day, 41 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, matching the streak of drawings without a winner in 2022 and 2021.

The US$1.3 billion prize is the eighth largest lottery prize in US history. It is the only winner to choose an annuity payment spread over 30 years. Had he opted for the cash prize, he would have received a lesser amount of US$608.9 million.

Winning lottery prizes are subject to federal tax, and many states also tax lottery winnings.

As prices increase, the excitement of buying tickets increases and the chances of winning the jackpot decrease. A Powerball ticket holder has a one in 292.2 million chance of having a winning combination.

The drawing was scheduled to take place Saturday evening, but was delayed until 2:30 a.m. Sunday at the Florida Lottery studio to allow one of the organizers to complete necessary procedures, the press release said.

“Powerball game rules require each ticket sold nationally to be verified and checked against two separate computer systems before the winning numbers are drawn,” the release said.

“This is to ensure that every ticket sold for the Powerball drawing is accounted for and has an equal chance of winning. We need more time tonight to complete this basic process in one territory.

The Powerball Lottery is available in 45 US states, including Washington, DC, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.