A ticket sold in Arkansas scored a $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot after Wednesday night’s draw — one of the richest lottery prizes in U.S. history, landing just in time for Christmas.
The payout soared after Monday’s drawing produced no winners, with last-minute ticket sales pushing the jackpot to $1.817 billion. That makes it the second-largest U.S. lottery prize ever and the biggest Powerball of 2025, the lottery website said on Thursday.
The winning numbers — 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 and the Powerball 19 — were drawn about an hour before midnight. The odds of hitting the jackpot? A staggering one in 292.2 million.
It was only the second time Arkansas has produced a Powerball jackpot winner. The first was back in 2010.
Powerball tickets cost $2 each. The lucky winner can choose between an annuitized payout of $1.8 billion over 29 years or a lump-sum cash option of roughly $834.9 million before taxes, according to the lottery website.
