winning $1 billion Powerball jackpot ticket sold in California

A lottery player in the US state of California won the $1 billion Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, the state's lottery said.

The billion-dollar jackpot is the biggest prize since November and only the third time the pot has reached the billions, The Washington Post reported.The winner can choose to take $558.1 million in cash up front, or receive $1.08 billion, broken into yearly payments over 30 years, which increase by five percent annually, the newspaper said.