Balbir Atwal’s 7-Eleven store in Chini Hills store sold a winning ticket.
AB Wire
Balbir Atwal, 57, an Indian American convenience store owner in Chino Hills, California, won $1 million in the Wednesday night’s drawing of the whopping $1.586 billion Powerball, by selling one of the three winning tickets.
The Chino Hills ticket was purchased at a 7-Eleven in the 4000 block of Chino Hills Parkway owned by Atwal, and the other two were sold in Florida and Tennessee, reported KTLA5 News.
In Chino Hills, celebrations erupted soon after the winners were announced, with a large crowd gathering at the store.
The screaming group, which appeared to include well over 100 people, cheered for the store and winner, and repeated chants like, “we’re proud to be Chino Hills people, right? Right.”
Although the large group did not win big, they said it was exciting to know the winner was from their community.
“We’re all just very excited that one of us could be the winners, and it’s just very exciting for everyone,” Delaney Gurol said, reported KTLA.
The celebrations continued overnight, spilling over into Thursday with more than 30 media trucks parked outside the Chino Hills store and a jubilant crowd continuing to grow.
It was not immediately known who the winning ticket was sold to, and lottery officials said he or she had one year from Wednesday to come forward.
A store employee said he saw a young man taking pictures outside and believed he was the winner.
The employee added that he “looked like a good guy,” and hoped he would spend the money wisely.
Each winner will receive $327.8 million before taxes if they opt for the lump-sum payment, or $528.8 million total if they choose the installment plan which gives money to the recipient annually for 30 years, according to Alex Traverso with the California Lottery.
Before the California Lottery clarified the amount won, CNN reported that the lump-sum cash value of $930 million would be split three ways before federal income taxes took away 39.6 percent, leaving each jackpot winner with an estimated $187.2 million.
Atwal was presented with a $1 million check on Thursday in front of a cheering crowd.
Initially, he said he thought the money would be split with 7-Eleven Corporate, but later said he was unsure of the amount.
Atwal planned to donate part of the store’s portion to charities and share the rest with employees and family.
“I’m feeling very great, excited, and thanks to the customer who come here in my store and bought the ticket,” Atwal said, KTLA reported.
The largest selling ticket at the store previously was $4,956.
In addition to the jackpot winner in Chino Hills, 12 people bought tickets in California that matched five of six numbers, said Russ Lopez with the California Lottery.
Those tickets were sold in Nipton, Chula Vista, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica, Tustin, Pacoima, Vacaville, Cloverdale, Redlands, Gardena and Irwindale.
The winning numbers for the record-breaking jackpot were 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and the Powerball 10.
“I feel very good, some lucky customer came here and made me famous,” Atwal told The Washington Post.
Atlwal gave away free Slurpees for those streaming in to his Chino Hills store to celebrate, take in the atmosphere and, as one of them put it, hope for some of the luck to rub off on him.