Northern California Powerball player claims $1.2 million prize: ‘This is real’
About three months after buying a winning Powerball ticket in Northern California, a lucky player has come forward to collect his winnings.
D. West won $1.17 million after matching five winning numbers in the Aug. 30 Powerball drawing, missing only the Powerball, the California State Lottery said in a Monday, Dec. 8, news release.
West purchased the lucky ticket at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Milpitas.
West said he realized he’d won during a stop for breakfast on his way to work.
“My first reaction wasn’t excitement, it was shock,” West said in the release. “I immediately started thinking, ‘Okay, this (is) real. How do we make sure we’re responsible?’”
West told state lottery officials that he and his wife plan to use their winnings to pay off their student loan debt and build long-term financial stability.
“Our student loans are gone. Our daughters have safe vehicles now,” West said. “It brought a lot of peace to our family.”
A total of two Powerball players in California won big in the Aug. 30 drawing, according to the release.
Jason Augliera won a $1.17 million prize after purchasing a Powerball ticket at a Pleasant Hill Speedway gas station.
What were winning Powerball numbers in Monday’s drawing?
The winning numbers in the Powerball drawing on Monday, Dec. 8, were 8, 32, 52, 56, 64 and the Powerball number was 23, according to the national Powerball site.
What is the Powerball jackpot up to now?
No one matched all five numbers and the red Powerball in the Monday’s drawing to win the grand prize, according to the national Powerball site.
However, a Powerball player in Florida matched five numbers to win $1 million, lottery officials said.
The jackpot rises to an estimated $930 million, with a cash value of about $429 million, for the next drawing Wednesday, Dec. 10, the national Powerball site said.
The Powerball jackpot was last won Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas split the $1.787 billion grand prize.
How to play Powerball lottery game
To score a jackpot in Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are on in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
When is the next Powerball drawing?
Powerball drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:59 p.m. Pacific Time and can be streamed online.
The next drawing will be Wednesday, Dec. 10, just before 8 p.m.
Powerball is played in 45 U.S. states and Washington, D.C., as well as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Northern California Powerball player claims $1.2 million prize: ‘This is real’."