Powerball officials announced that the massive jackpot of nearly $1.8 billion has been won, with the lucky tickets sold in Missouri and Texas.
“With final ticket sales, the Powerball jackpot came in at $1.787 billion – making it the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won,” the Multi-State Lottery Association, which runs the Powerball game, said in a statement.
Winners in Missouri and Texas can either take the prize as annual payments totaling $893.5 million, or opt for a one-time cash payout of $410.3 million before taxes.
In addition to the grand prize, players in other states also struck it rich. A pair of tickets sold in Kansas and Texas each earned $2 million, while 18 more winners across 13 states walked away with $1 million apiece.
The winning draw consisted of the numbers 11, 23, 44, 61, 62, with the red Powerball number 17, and a Power Play multiplier of 2.
With the jackpot claimed, the prize resets to $20 million for the next drawing scheduled on Monday.
These wins bring an end to a stretch of 42 straight drawings without a jackpot hit, a run that dated back to May.
The Multi-State Lottery Association noted that the odds of hitting the jackpot are a staggering 1 in 292.2 million.
Powerball tickets sell for $2 and are available in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The record-holder for the biggest Powerball jackpot remains the $2.04 billion prize that was claimed in California on November 7, 2022.
{Matzav.com}
