A ticket purchased in Illinois brought its owner a Powerball lottery jackpot of 1.04 billion dollars. For tens of thousands, and possibly more people who dreamed of winning a billion dollars, the wait is over: one ticket turned out to be the only one to match all the winning numbers.
The ticket, sold in Illinois, matched all six main winning numbers and the Powerball number, bringing a jackpot of 1.04 billion dollars on Wednesday. This is the eighth largest jackpot in lottery history, the organizers said. The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67 and 69, and the Powerball number was 9.
If the winner chooses a one-time payment, they will receive 450.5 million dollars before taxes. Another option is to receive the jackpot as an annuity over 29 years.
History of the largest jackpots
A jackpot of 1 billion dollars was once considered an exceptional phenomenon, but changes in the rules of the game have contributed to the increase in the main prize. The largest jackpot in Powerball history was 2.04 billion dollars and was won in 2022. The second and third largest jackpots — 1.817 billion dollars and 1.787 billion dollars respectively — were won last year.
Source: NBC
