A lottery player in the U.S. state of Arkansas has won the $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot, making it the second-largest lottery prize ever won in the United States, according to the game’s organisers.
With final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot reached $1.817 billion, making it the second-largest US lottery jackpot ever won and the largest Powerball prize this year,” Powerball said in a statement.
The jackpot surged after Monday’s draw produced no winners, with last-minute ticket sales pushing the total to $1.817 billion (£1.36 billion). The winning numbers, 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and Powerball 19, were drawn shortly before midnight on Christmas Eve. The odds of hitting the jackpot stood at 1 in 292.2 million.
Wednesday’s draw marked the 47th consecutive drawing without a jackpot winner, making it the longest run in Powerball history, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
This is only the second time Arkansas has produced a Powerball jackpot winner, the first occurring in 2010. The previous Powerball jackpot was claimed on September 6, when two tickets sold in Missouri and Texas shared a $1.787 billion prize.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each. The Arkansas winner can choose between receiving the full prize through annual payments totalling about $1.8 billion over nearly three decades or opting for a one-time lump-sum cash payout of roughly $834.9 million (£623 million) before taxes.
“This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” said Matt Strawn, chair of the Powerball Product Group and chief executive of the Iowa Lottery.
Historically, the Powerball jackpot has been won once on Christmas Eve, in 2011, and four times on Christmas Day.
The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history remains the $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in 2022 by a ticket holder in California. Officials note that large jackpots typically drive higher ticket sales, increasing revenue for state lottery funds that support education and other public services.