Single ticket wins $1.817B Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve

· UPI

Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A single Powerball ticket hit the $1.817 billion jackpot on Christmas Eve, capturing the second largest lottery prize ever awarded in the United States.

The ticket, sold in Arkansas, marks the second time that a Powerball jackpot has been won in Arkansas, with the first being sold in 2010, Powerball said in a press release.

The winning numbers in Wednesday night's drawing were white balls 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, the red Powerball was 19 and the Power Play multiplier was 2.

"Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner," Matt Strawn, Powerball product chair and Iowa lottery CEO, said in the release. "This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize."

The jackpot winner will have an option to receive the full $1.817 billion, which is paid out with an immediate payment and then 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year, or to take a one-time lump sum payment of $843.9 million. Both options are before paying federal and state taxes.

In addition to the jackpot, eight tickets were sold matching all white balls -- one each in California, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and two were sold in New York -- garnering $1 million prizes each.

There were also 31 tickets that won $100,000 prizes and 114 tickets that won $50,000.

The $1.817 billion prize built up over 47 drawings, which Powerball said sets a record for a jackpot cycle. Until Wednesday, the last jackpot was won on Sept. 6 by two tickets that split $1.787 billion.

The Sept. 6 jackpot also was the second biggest in Powerball history until the Dec. 24 drawing. The largest jackpot remains a $2.04 billion prize that was won by a ticket sold in California in 2022.

The next Powerball drawing will be held on Saturday night, with an estimated $20 million jackpot up for grabs.

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