$1.8B Powerball jackpot won on Christmas Eve in Arkansas
A ticket in Arkansas matched the winning numbers drawn on Christmas Eve for Powerball's $1.817 billion jackpot.
The grand prize has an estimated cash value of $834.9 million, the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won, according to the lottery.
The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was won on Nov. 7, 2022, when a California ticket claimed a $2.04 billion prize.
The white balls drawn Wednesday were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59. The red Powerball was 19 and the Power Play was 2X.
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"Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize," Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said in a statement. "We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country."
The winner will have the choice between an annuitized prize of $1.817 billion or a lump sum payment worth $834.9 million. If a winner selects the annuity option, they will receive one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year.
Both prize options are before taxes.
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In addition to the jackpot winner, eight players won $1 million by matching all five white balls. There were also 114 tickets that won $50,000 prizes and 31 tickets that won $100,000 prizes.
Wednesday’s win marked just the second time a Powerball jackpot ticket has been sold in Arkansas, with the first coming in 2010.
The Powerball jackpot was last won on Sept. 6, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize.
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The jackpot will reset to $20 million, with the next drawing on Saturday.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.