Arkansas Powerball player wins $1.817 million lottery jackpot
A Powerball player in Arkansas won a $1.817 million grand prize in Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing, ending the lottery's three-month streak without a top prize winner.
The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with the Powerball number 19.
Final ticket sales pushed the grand prize higher than previously expected, making it the second largest in US history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, according to www.powerball.com. The first prize had a cash payment option in a single installment amounting to $834.9 million.
“Congratulations to the new Powerball grand prize winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Matt Strawn, president of the Powerball Products Group and CEO of the Iowa Lottery, was quoted as saying by the website. “We also want to thank all the players who joined this streak of great prizes: every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
The prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a grand prize winner was on September 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 million.
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Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball grand prize has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. The first time occurred in 2010.
The last time someone won a big Powerball prize on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the drawing has also been won on Christmas four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball's one-in-292.2 million odds are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes that grow as they accumulate when no one wins. Lottery organizers note that the odds are much better for the game's many smaller prizes.
“With the prize being so high, I just bought one on impulse. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Powerball tickets cost two dollars, and the lottery operates in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Associated Press video journalist Obed Lamy in Indianapolis. contributed.
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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.