Powerball and Mega Hundreds of thousands numbers are displayed at a newsstand on December 23, 2025 in New York Metropolis.
Angela Weiss | Afp | Getty Photos
A ticket offered in Arkansas scored a $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot after Wednesday night time’s draw — one of many richest lottery prizes in U.S. historical past, touchdown simply in time for Christmas.
The payout soared after Monday’s drawing produced no winners, with last-minute ticket gross sales pushing the jackpot to $1.817 billion. That makes it the second-largest U.S. lottery prize ever and the largest Powerball of 2025, the lottery web site stated on Thursday.
The profitable numbers — 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and the Powerball 19 — have been drawn about an hour earlier than midnight. The chances of hitting the jackpot? A staggering one in 292.2 million.
It was solely the second time Arkansas has produced a Powerball jackpot winner. The primary was again in 2010.
Powerball tickets price $2 every. The fortunate winner can select between an annuitized payout of $1.8 billion over 29 years or a lump-sum money possibility of roughly $834.9 million earlier than taxes, in response to the lottery web site.
Wishful pondering
The Powerball jackpot was beforehand received on September 6 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas that cut up a $1.787 billion prize.
Jackpots develop as they roll over when nobody wins, although the percentages are much better for the sport’s smaller prizes.
“That is really a rare, life-changing prize,” stated Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group chair and Iowa Lottery CEO.
The jackpot has been received as soon as on Christmas Eve in 2011 and 4 instances on Christmas Day.
“The possibility of profitable the lottery is, like, lower than getting hit by lightning, and typically I believe my lottery goes to get hit by lightning,” stated New York musician Richie Vitale, 71, exhibiting 5 lottery tickets he had purchased on Wednesday.
“I believe, ‘Let’s be extra hopeful and take an opportunity,’ and I do not purchase lottery tickets on a regular basis.”
Nationwide, 9 secondary prizes of $1 million have been claimed within the final drawing on Monday.
“I got here out within the rain to get the profitable ticket, and I simply purchased the profitable ticket. So everyone else can keep residence. I am getting it. I will share it with you,” stated Lengthy Seaside, California, resident John Campbell.
Requested what else he would do with the cash, Campbell stated he would share it with the homeless. “I am uninterested in seeing them sleeping on the road,” he stated.
The biggest U.S. lottery prize ever was a Powerball jackpot of $2.04 billion, received in California in 2022.
Massive jackpots are likely to bolster ticket gross sales, boosting income for state lottery funds that help training and different public spending.
“It is scary, scary and thrilling and slightly bit daunting as a result of what would one do with a lot cash? However we’ll see, we hope,” stated New York theater director Carl Schmehl after shopping for tickets. “I want to attempt to give some huge cash away and assist individuals and, I do not know, share it.”
