Powerball's $847m jackpot was won by a single ticket. See the winning numbers.
· Yahoo NewsA single ticket in New Jersey won the $847 million Powerball jackpot Wednesday night, one of the 10 biggest prizes in the lottery's history.
The ticket holder matched the winning numbers, 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, as well as the red 21 Powerball, to take the prize.
The winner can either take a one-time payment of $363.1 million before taxes, or they can choose an annuity that is paid out over the next 29 years.
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A total of 25 people won $50,000 in the draw, while four Power Play winners boosted their prizes to $100,000.
The win ends the three-month Powerball jackpot drought, after the last grand prize winner claimed $1.04 billion in Illinois, which was the eighth-largest win in the game's history.
While the jackpot is one of the biggest ever, the winner may never disclose their identity. Under New Jersey state law, the winner has the right to remain completely anonymous indefinitely.
The next Powerball drawing on Nov. 7 will offer players a chance to win $20 million.
What are the biggest Powerball wins?
The latest win is the ninth-largest Powerball prize.
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The largest jackpot ever won, $2.04 billion, went to Edwin Castro, who bought the winning ticket at Joe's Service Center in Altadena, Calif., in 2022. Castro has generally kept a low profile, but the Wall Street Journal reported in 2025 that he spent about $10 million on 15 lots in his hometown after devastating wildfires in January 2025.
The most recent jackpot winner before the New Jersey win, who chose to remain anonymous, won $1.04 billion on Aug. 12, the eighth-largest Powerball prize since the game began in 1992. Illinois law allows lottery winners of $250,000 and over to keep their identities hidden.
Top 10 Powerball jackpots:
- $2.04 billion, Nov. 7, 2022, California
- $1.817 billion, Dec. 24, 2025, Arkansas
- $1.787 billion, Sept. 6, 2025, Missouri and Texas
- $1.765 billion, Oct. 11, 2023, California
- $1.586 billion, Jan. 13, 2016, California, Florida and Tennessee
- $1.326 billion, April 6, 2024, Oregon
- $1.08 billion, July 19, 2023, California
- $1.04 billion, Aug. 12, 2026, Illinois
- $847 million, Nov. 4, 2026, New Jersey
- $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024, Michigan
How much could the $847 million Powerball jackpot winner actually take home?
There are two ways for potential winners to claim a jackpot — either in a one-time lump-sum payment or an annuity paid out over 29 years.
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Lump-sum winners will then face a 24% federal withholding tax, plus additional federal taxes due to being in the top tax bracket, bringing the total to as high as 37%.
According to the USA Mega website, New York has a top state income-tax rate of 10.9%, while states including Texas, Florida and California do not tax lottery winnings.
That means a winner in New York state might expect to take home a lump-sum payment of around $190 million (New York City has even more taxes), while someone in California could expect to pocket about $229 million. Wednesday's winning ticket holder in New Jersey would expect to take home a lump-sum payment of $189,763,793.
Those opting for the annuity will get 30 annual payments that increase by 5% each time. That means the first payment will be the smallest, and the final payment the largest. Again, the size of the payments vary from state to state, due to local taxes. In New Jersey, the winner would see $443,878,770 paid out.