Biggest ever US lottery winner only bagged half the cash and spent it on just two things

Edwin Castro is the Altadena, California resident who became an overnight millionaire after his lottery ticket bagged him the jackpot in November 2022.

After the taxman took his cut, Edwin was still left with a cool £802million catapulting his net worth above Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and Madonna.

Choosing to take his winnings as a lump sum, the eager bloke wasted no time in dropping £20million on a swanky Hollywood Hills pad, complete with killer views of Tinseltown.

Recently the Powerball winner had a double stroke of luck, the opulent property in the Hollywood Hills narrowly escaped being obliterated by a landslide.

New aerial footage earlier this month revealed a neighbour's house partially buried while Castro's mansion remains untouched, perched above the renowned Chateau Marmont Hotel in West Hollywood.

READ MORE: Fake winning lotto ticket couple try claim $1m prize – but a make silly mistake

There's lots of quality news coming out of the US.

After his historic lottery victory, Edwin was forced to go through months of vetting via the California Lottery and eventually claimed the prize on Valentine’s Day in 2023.

The reclusive winner chooses to avoid the limelight, focusing on spending his huge wealth on property and snazzy vehicles. To date, Edwin has reportedly bought three multimillion-dollar homes in California and at least five vintage cars.

According to USA Today, Edwin’s first mega-property purchase is a sprawling 13,500-square-foot mansion that sits on a 0.58-acre lot. The pricey abode features five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a game room, a wine cellar, its own bar and a fitness studio.

An infinity pool and main-room balcony round off the digs, while nearby A-list neighbours include Jimmy Kimmel and Dakota Johnson.

The New York Post reported Edwin purchased his second home in hometown Altadena, a £3.02million mansion with views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The Japanese-style home also has a pool, a cinema, five bedrooms and four bathrooms, a world away from the one-bed home Edwin was living in when he won the Powerball.

His largest reported purchase was the £37million home he bought in September 2023 in Los Angeles from celebrity realtor Mauricio Umansky.

Edwin’s cars include “a white Porsche 911 from the 1980s, a grey Ram 1500 TRX, and three Volkswagen Karmann Ghias, two black and one red,” the Daily Mail reported. “His latest purchase sees him adding a British racing green 1970s Porsche 356 and a black Porsche 1980s 911."

Growing up in a "wholesome family" that loved fishing trips, sources spilled to TMZ that Edwin lived a simple life before hitting the jackpot.

The Eagle Boy Scout alum and Crescenta Valley High School grad, known for being a "quiet guy with a kind heart," studied architecture at Woodbury University.

Never doing proper interviews, Edwin eulogised the California education system in a statement via Powerball after he won: "As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system.

“The mission of the California Lottery, which is to provide supplemental funding for California public education, both public schools and colleges, makes this a huge win for the state.

"As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, it's gratifying to hear that, as a result of my win, the California school system greatly benefits as well."