An Arkansas lottery player has officially claimed more than $1.8 billion after hitting the Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve.
The winner recently came forward to claim the Dec. 24 Powerball prize — the second-largest jackpot in both Powerball and U.S. lottery history, according to the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery (ASL). It was also the largest jackpot of 2025, the Associated Press reported.
The ticket matched all five white balls plus the red Powerball: 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, and red Powerball 19. The winner chose the one-time cash option, taking $834.9 million before taxes.
ASL executive director Sharon Strong said the winner followed lottery guidance by taking time to consult professionals before claiming the prize.
“We’re proud to celebrate this moment, not only for our Arkansas winner and for Murphy USA, the Arkansas-based company that sold the winning ticket, but also for the positive impact this historic jackpot will have on our state and our mission to raise funds for in-state scholarships,” Strong said.
Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn also issued congratulations in a press release the day after the drawing.
“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Strawn said. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”
This marks the second time an Arkansas ticket has won a Powerball jackpot, following a previous grand prize win in 2010.
While the jackpot went to one winner, other players also scored major prizes. Eight tickets matched all five white balls, winning $1 million each in Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Another 114 tickets won $50,000, and 31 tickets won $100,000.
Officials said this jackpot run stretched across 47 drawings, setting a record for the most consecutive drawings in a single cycle.
The previous jackpot was won on Sept. 6, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize.
The largest Powerball jackpot on record remains the $2.04 billion prize won on Nov. 7, 2022, when Edwin Castro of California took the top prize.
