Morro Bay Powerball Player Claims Record California Payout

It is the largest lottery jackpot to have ever been won on a single ticket in California, and ranks as the fifth-biggest payout in Powerball history. The jackpot also came after a remarkable stretch of 40 rollovers in a row - the most consecutive draws there have ever been without a winner.

The numbers drawn on October 4th were 12, 22, 54, 66 and 69, with a Powerball of 15. The winning ticket was sold in an Albertsons store in Morro Bay, located at 730 Quintana Road, and it has now emerged that the lucky player spent just $20 to win the multimillion-dollar jackpot, buying 10 Quick Picks. 

Having taken some time to get his head around the win before claiming his money, Godfrey has decided to take the lump sum of $496 million (less federal taxes) rather than the $699 million as an annuity.

He is delighted that his success has already helped the California Lottery to raise more funds for education in the state, while he is looking forward to using the money to help others. He is also keen to carry on with life as normally as possible.

“You never really expect to win the lottery, let alone a jackpot this big,” Godfrey told the California Lottery. “And – as you can imagine – I did a double take, no, more than a double take – a triple take, and when I saw I won, in fact, I asked someone to take a look and confirm what I was seeing. 

“The funny part is I spent 20 dollars, so 10 of the Quick Picks, and of course it was the very first one – on the numbers on the ticket – that were the winning numbers. The only person in the country to have the whole jackpot. And, of course, it feels great to win big, but I’m especially pleased that this jackpot resulted in $78 million for California public education. 

“Even the times I’ve played in the past and didn’t win, I always felt, well, at least a few bucks of this will go to help the schools. 

“We are private people, and we intend to stay that way. We’ve also, for a long time, been involved in charitable activities and now we can really scale those efforts to take full appreciation of this blessing. This money is not about me. It’s about all of the good that can come from it.”

Godfrey’s win also marked the first time that Powerball had been won on a Monday since a third weekly drawing was introduced in August. Draws continue every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and you can see the latest results on the Powerball Numbers page straight after every draw.