Record $1.5bn US Powerball lottery has three winners

There are at least three winning tickets in the US for the record $1.6bn (£1.1bn) lottery jackpot, officials have said.

The winning tickets in the Powerball jackpot were sold in California, Tennessee and Florida.

The previous draw was the 19th without a grand prize winner, which requires all six numbers to match.

Officials said it would take several hours to know if there are any other winning tickets.

The identity of the winners was not yet known.
 

Thousands of people queued up outside shops across the US on Wednesday, hoping to defy the odds of 292.2 million to one.

The winning ticket in California was sold at a 7-Eleven store in Chino Hills, a suburb east of Los Angeles, California Lottery tweeted. Television pictures showed a cheering crowd gathered at the shop after the result was announced.

The winners will share a prize of $1.586 billion. They can collect their winnings in annual payments over 29 years, or opt to share a lump-sum payment of $930m.

The government would also share in the big prize, however, levying a 39.6% federal income tax on the winners, plus any taxes that the winners' home states may impose.

Six of the 50 US states do not participate in the lottery, so some residents drive hours to buy tickets.

Alabama, Mississippi and Utah cite religious reasons, while Alaska has said it would not be economical in such a sparsely populated state.

In Hawaii, proposed legislation to start it fails consistently and in Nevada the lottery is rejected because the state's world famous casinos prefer not to have competition.