Who won Powerball jackpot? Why California winners can't be anonymous
LOS ANGELES - Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot after more than three months without anyone hitting the top prize.
The winning numbers were selected Tuesday morning, nearly 10 hours after the scheduled Monday night drawing because of problems processing sales data at one of the game’s member lotteries. Lottery officials acknowledged the unprecedented delay for such a high-profile drawing but said the game’s security process took precedence.
But who won the Powerball?
Lottery officials confirmed to FOX 11 that as of Wednesday afternoon, they do not have a confirmed winner.
Keep in mind that winners undergo a rigorous vetting process by their state lottery. This process can take weeks or months before a winner can be declared, officials said.
Public disclosure laws vary by state.
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In California, the winner’s name is considered public record and the state lottery said a winner's full name, the name and location of the retailer that sold the ticket, and the amount of the winnings, including the gross and net installment payments, are all subject to disclosure, according to the California Lottery Winner's Handbook.
While lottery winners are often advised by financial experts to not tell anyone that they've won, only some states allow winners to remain anonymous.
The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, which is a nonprofit professional trade association that represents all government-sanctioned lotteries in North America, says players cannot remain anonymous in most participating jurisdictions.
"State and provincial lawmakers want the public to know that the lottery is honestly run and so require that at a minimum the name of the winner and their city of residence be made public," its website states. "This way the public can be reassured that the prize really was paid out to a real person."
States that grant anonymity include Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, and Minnesota, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming.
As an alternative, winners might be able to form a blind trust through their attorney so that winnings can be anonymously received, State Farm advises.
FOX News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.