(CNN) — The name of the sole winner of November’s record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot was revealed Tuesday at a news conference in California.
Edwin Castro won the largest lottery jackpot in history and opted for a lump sum payment of $997.6 million, the California Lottery said.
Castro bought the winning ticket in early November in Altadena, California, and matched all six numbers in the drawing.
“That ticket is the single largest jackpot winner in US Lottery history! The ticket matched the numbers 10-33-41-47-56 and the Powerball number 10,” the California Lottery said at the time.
Castro declined to appear at the news conference, the lottery said, but shared a statement read by lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Becker.
“As much as I am surprised and excited to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system,” Castro’s statement read.
California public schools will receive $156.3 million in supplemental funding, also a record total, thanks to the victory. The award will be shared with schools based on average daily attendance records.
“This funding is largely discretionary, which means that schools can use it for important educational programs, but without funding, that they might not otherwise be able to afford,” the California Lottery said in a statement.
The ticket was sold at a Joe’s Service Center store, the lottery said. The store’s owner, Joe Chahayed, a Syrian immigrant, received a $1 million bonus from the lottery for selling the winning ticket.
The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
In California, the lottery “is subject to public disclosure laws,” which means that the full name of the winner, the location of the retailer who sold the ticket, and details of the winnings “are matters of public record and are subject to disclosure,” the lottery says on its website.
