On Christmas Eve, one Powerball ticket in Arkansas delivered a gift worth $1.817 billion.
A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing, winning the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever, lottery officials said. The jackpot run had stretched to a record 47 drawings, officials said.
The winner can choose between the full $1.817 billion paid out over 30 years or a $834.9 million cash option, both before taxes.
Huge lottery jackpots have become increasingly common in recent years as Powerball and Mega Millions have changed their rules and raised ticket prices. Since 2016, more than a dozen U.S. jackpots have topped $1 billion, including three in 2024 alone.
The largest jackpot on record remains a $2.04 billion Powerball prize won in California in 2022.
Powerball’s next drawing, on Saturday night, will reset to $20 million.
The post Winner in Arkansas Takes $1.817 Billion Powerball Jackpot appeared first on New York Times.
