Arkansas ticket wins $1.817bn Powerball jackpot
An Arkansas lottery player has won a record breaking $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot in the Christmas Eve drawing, securing the second largest lottery prize ever claimed in U.S. history, reports a Qazinform News Agency correspondent.
A single ticket sold in Arkansas matched all six winning numbers, 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the red Powerball 19. The prize comes with a cash option of $834.9 million before taxes. The winner has not been identified by lottery officials.
The jackpot climbed to $1.817 billion after final ticket sales were counted, making it the biggest Powerball prize of 2025. It is only the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas, the first occurring in 2010.
Powerball officials noted that the winner may choose between a lump sum payment or the full jackpot paid as an annuity over 29 years, with annual payments increasing by 5%. Historically, most winners opt for the upfront cash option. Federal taxes ranging from 24 to 37%, as well as possible state taxes, will apply.
The previous largest single ticket Powerball win remains the $2.04 billion jackpot claimed in California in 2022.
The Dec. 24 drawing marked a Powerball record, becoming the 47th drawing in a single jackpot cycle. The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Dec. 27.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that after months of devastating wildfires, the town of La Bañeza in Spain’s Castilla y León region experienced a dramatic turn of fortune by winning Spain’s Christmas lottery, El Gordo. According to official figures, 117 series of the winning number were sold in the town, bringing about €468 million to be shared among its 10,000 residents, with each €20 ticket paying out €400,000.
