California liquor store owners ecstatic after selling $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot ticket

The owners of Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park have a million reasons to smile.

The family-owned business north of Los Angeles sold the single winning ticket in Wednesday's drawing for the $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot. The owners will receive at least $1 million just for selling the ticket, the first to match all six Powerball drawing numbers in 35 consecutive drawings.

May and Jacklin Khalil were all smiles and laughter when they spoke with NBCLA Thursday night as they celebrated with friends and a bottle of tequila. Word of the big win left family members in disbelief.

"We're so excited," May Khalil said. "Her son called me and said, 'We won.' I didn't believe that. I thought, he's joking."

Andy Khalil was browsing Facebook when he started seeing posts about the winning ticket and where it was sold.

"I thought, somebody is joking with me," he said. "Then, I started getting calls and text messages from friends and customers. I realized, it was true."

The Khalils said they will likely use at least some of the money for a vacation.

Their liquor store is about 100 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, just west of the 5 Freeway as it carves through the Tejon Pass in the rugged mountains near the Kern and Los Angeles County border. The community has a population of about 3,000 people.

The winning numbers were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10. The winning ticket was finally sold after a winless streak that extended back to July 19 when a player in California matched all six numbers and won $1.08 billion.

The winner has yet to step forward. Almost all lottery draw games allow for 180 days from the date of the draw to claim a prize. The exceptions are Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots, which have a one-year deadline.

Claiming a prize of more than $600 requires an extensive claim process. A winner's full name, the name and location of the retailer who sold the winning ticket, the draw date of the win and the amount, including gross and net installment payments, are all considered matters of public record and subject to disclosure.

The jackpot was the second-largest ever won, behind only the $2.04 billion Powerball won by a player in California last November. Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million generate large jackpots, with prizes growing to staggering amounts as they roll over from drawing to drawing.

The $1.73 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who opts for payment through an annuity, doled out over 30 years. Winners almost always take the cash option.

Winnings would be subject to federal taxes, and many states also tax lottery winnings.

Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.