$1.5 Billion Powerball jackpot winning numbers drawn Wednesday

In the Hot Lotto fraud scandal, Eddie Tipton manipulated the number generating system for several lottery games, guaranteeing him and associates millions of dollars in payouts in rigged games.

Eric Wirth

Millions of people across the nation sat in anticipation, waiting for the winning Powerball numbers to be drawn for Wednesday’s $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot.

The winning numbers for the lottery were: 08, 27, 34, 04, 19 with a Powerball of 10. 

A winner was reported in Chino Hills, California at 10:17 p.m. central. 

Should the winner decide to take the lump sum amount, they’d receive $930 million before taxes. Should they decide to take the annuity option, the winner would receive 30 annual installments totaling $1.5 billion.

However, the riches that come from winning the lottery can be short lived. William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988 and within a year was over $1 million in debt according to Forbes. He blew his cash on cars, boats, houses and even a plane which he didn’t have a license to fly. His former girlfriend was able to sue him, with success, for part of his winnings, and his brother even hired a hit man to try and kill Post.

The current jackpot had been building since Nov. 4, 2015, when the pot started out at $40 million.