Arkansas (LVN) — Christmas Eve delivered a historic windfall for one Powerball player in Arkansas, where a single ticket matched all six numbers in the Wednesday, Dec. 24 drawing to claim an estimated $1.7 billion jackpot, lottery officials announced.
The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, with the red Powerball 19. The Power Play multiplier was 2x. The winner’s identity has not yet been released.
The prize ranks as the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball and U.S. lottery history, ending one of the game’s longest jackpot runs. The annuity had been rolling since Sept. 6, 2025, when two tickets sold in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize. The latest run spanned 47 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, driving ticket sales and national anticipation.
The estimated cash option for the Christmas Eve drawing is $781.3 million before taxes, while the annuity would be paid in 30 graduated installments over 29 years, increasing by 5% annually.
Powerball is operated by the Multi-State Lottery Association and offered in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern. Tickets cost $2, with an optional $1 Power Play that multiplies non-jackpot prizes. Some jurisdictions also offer a Double Play option for an additional $1, allowing players a second chance to win prizes of up to $10 million.
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.
The largest Powerball jackpot on record remains the $2.04 billion prize won by Edwin Castro in California in November 2022. Other notable jackpots include $1.765 billion in October 2023 and $1.586 billion in January 2016.
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With the Arkansas win confirmed, the Powerball jackpot resets to an estimated $20 million (cash value $9.2 million) for the next drawing scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, restarting the familiar cycle of hope for players nationwide.
Correction
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the winning Powerball ticket was sold in Arizona. The ticket was sold in Arkansas, according to official Powerball results. The story has been updated to reflect this correction.
