Ticket sold in Arkansas wins $1.8B Powerball jackpot in Christmas Eve drawing -- 2nd biggest lottery jackpot ever
A Powerball player in Arkansas, is getting an unforgettable gift for the holidays -- a ticket sold there matched all six numbers to win a $1.817 billion jackpot -- the second biggest U.S. lottery prize ever, according to Powerball.
The winning numbers picked in Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing were: 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59 with Powerball 19.
The winning ticket was sold at a Cabot, Arkansas, gas station, according to lotto officials. Two other winning tickets for smaller prizes were sold in the state; a $100,000 winning ticket was sold in Little Rock and a $50,000 winning ticket was sold in Rogers.
The jackpot winner has the choice between a lump sum cash payment of $834.9 million or an annuitized prize paid out over about 30 years of the full prize amount. Both options are before taxes.
"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 can choose to remain anonymous for three years under Arkansas state law before their name becomes public record. The only exception is for public officials and their second degree relatives who are required to disclose their identity within six months.
The Christmas Eve jackpot was the game's second billion-dollar-plus prize this year after 46 consecutive draws without a winner.
A $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot that was won in September by two tickets in Missouri and Texas was the third-largest prize in U.S. lottery history.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in over 292 million, according to Powerball.
Tim Chartier, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, likened trying to win the Powerball jackpot with those odds to selecting a specific second over a nine-year span, and then attempting to guess that specific second. He told ABC News that buying more tickets does increase a player's odds of winning – but only marginally.
"If you buy 100 tickets, it's true that you actually multiply your chance of winning by 100," Chartier said, but also noted that "buying 100 tickets is like having just 100 guesses to guess that one second in a nine-year span, so it's still not terribly likely."
For the next drawing on Saturday night, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million
You can watch the drawing live on the Powerball website.
Top 10 Powerball jackpots and winning states
1. $2.04 billion – Nov. 7, 2022 – California
2. $1.817 billion (current jackpot) - Arkansas
3. $1.787 billion – Sept. 6, 2025 – Missouri, Texas
4. $1.765 billion – Oct. 11, 2023 – California
5. $1.586 billion – Jan. 13, 2016 – California, Florida, Tennessee
6. $1.326 billion – April 6, 2024 – Oregon
7. $1.08 billion – July 19, 2023 – California
8. $842.4 million – Jan. 1, 2024 – Michigan
9. $768.4 million – March 27, 2019 – Wisconsin
10. $758.7 million – Aug. 23, 2017 – Massachusetts
