A California woman has been revealed as the winner of a $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot.
The astronomically lucky winner, Yanira Alvarez, beat the odds when she walked into Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles last July.
The win ended a 39-draw jackpot drought for Powerball, and was the first of two back-to-back billion-dollar winning tickets sold in the state of California.
The other win came three months later in October, when a $1.7 billion Powerball ticket was sold at Midway Market in Frazier Park, California.
In March, California revealed a group of people won that prize.
Proceeds from the California Lottery are to be earmarked for public education. Last year's back-to-back jackpot wins resulted in nearly $200 million in funding for schools.
"We can't thank our players enough for their help in supporting California's public schools," said California Lottery Director Harjinder K. Shergill Chima. "Our mission is what drives us every day, and while jackpot prizes change lives for the big winners, they're also making an important difference in the lives of students and teachers in classrooms across the state."
California jackpot winners have the option of taking the final jackpot total over 30 annual payments or the cash value of the prize up front.
This weekend's Powerball jackpot is a projected $935 million with an estimated corresponding cash value of $449.7 million.
The West Coast doesn't have all the luck, though.
On Tuesday, a lucky New Jersey resident won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot with a winning ticket purchased at a Shop Rite Liquor store in Monmouth. The estimated value is closer to $537.5 million. However, the final value of the prize is pending until the total number of ticket sales is confirmed.
