US: Sole winner takes home over a billion in the Powerball

A lucky winner in Illinois has walked away with a Powerball jackpot of over a billion dollars – a lottery quite similar to Italia’s Superenalotto. This is the biggest jackpot of the year and the eighth largest in the lottery’s history. The winner can claim the prize as a lump sum, in which case they will receive around $450 million, or as annual payments over the next 29 years. The last jackpot was won on 2 May; it took 44 draws before the win in Illinois. For the first time, players from the United Kingdom were also able to take part in Powerball. Previously, the lottery was reserved solely for US residents.