Winning tickets sold in 3 states for $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot

NEW YORK (WABC) -- An eye-popping and unprecedented Powerball jackpot whose rise to $1.6 billion became a national fascination will be split three ways.

The winners' identities remain a mystery, but they bought their tickets in Florida, Tennessee and a Los Angeles suburb where even lottery losers were celebrating Thursday that such heady riches were won in their modest city.

The winners of the world-record jackpot overcame odds of 1 in 292.2 million to land on the numbers drawn Wednesday night, 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10. They can take the winnings in annual payments spread over decades or a smaller amount in a lump sum.

The California ticket was sold at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, California, lottery spokesman Alex Traverso told The Associated Press. The winning ticket in Tennessee was sold in Munford, north of Memphis, according to a news release from lottery officials in that state. The winning Florida ticket was sold at a Publix in Melbourne Beach.

There were also at least nine $1 Million Powerball winners across the Tri-State area.

Winning stores in New York include:

- BETHPAGE: 7-Eleven #21578 on 25 Stewart Avenue

- RIDGEWOOD: Good Lucky Charm Gift Shop Inc on 6050 Myrtle Avenue.

- S. RICHMOND HILL: PKG Enterprises, Inc. on 118-17 Liberty Ave'

- LONG ISLAND CITY: Plaza South Conv. and Groc. Store on 25-08A Queens Plaza South

- STONY POINT: Stony Point Mini Mart on 104 West Main St. Rte 9W

New Jersey and Connecticut will release their locations later on Thursday.

The California store and its surrounding strip mall immediately became a popular gathering spot in the usually quiet suburb of 75,000 people. Hundreds of people, from news crews to gawkers, crowded the store and spilled into its parking lot.

Powerball tickets are sold in 44 states, as well as the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

But residents in the six states that don't participate found ways to get their hands on tickets. Some of the biggest Powerball sales have come from cities bordering states that don't sell the tickets, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association. The association oversees the Powerball Lottery, but management rotates annually among member states.