Arkansas Powerball player strikes $1.8bn jackpot on Christmas Eve
An Arkansas Powerball player has won a massive $1.817 billion (£1.34 billion) jackpot in a Christmas Eve drawing, making it the second-largest lottery prize ever won.
The single winning ticket matched all six numbers – 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and red Powerball 19 – giving the winner the chance to receive a lump sum cash payout of $834.9 million.
This is only the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas, according to the lottery operator. Powerball has not identified the winner.
The largest single ticket prize remains the $2.04 billion jackpot won in 2022 by a player from Altadena, California.
In order to win the jackpot, the lottery ticket holder must match the five white balls and the red Powerball selected in a drawing.
Lottery tickets cost $2 each – and the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million, according to game organizers.
A winner has the option of choosing a lump sum payment or receiving the full amount as an annuity paid out over 29 years, but most winners opt for the upfront cash option.
The game, which began in 1992, is played in 45 of the 50 U.S. states, the capital Washington, as well as the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Winnings are subject to federal taxes of between 24% and 37% and, in most cases, state taxes.
