Arkansas resident claims $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot, chooses to stay anonymous | Arkansas Advocate

An Arkansas resident has come forward with the winning $1.8 billion Powerball ticket that was sold in Cabot last month, claiming the largest jackpot in state history, lottery officials said Thursday.

The Arkansas Scholarship Lottery said in a news release that the winner chose to receive a lump-sum $834.9 million payment. The winner chose to remain anonymous, and the lottery did not say what city the person was from.

A 2021 Arkansas law allows lottery winners of more than $500,000 to remain anonymous for three years. The lottery was the second-largest jackpot in Powerball and U.S. lottery history.

“Everyone was anxiously waiting for the winner to step forward, but we are happy they took the time to seek legal counsel and financial advice first, as we recommended,” Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Executive Director Sharon Strong said in the release. “We are thrilled that the winner is from Arkansas!”

The ticket was bought from a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot. The station will receive a $50,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

State taxes on the jackpot were withheld at 3.9% and federal taxes at 24%, the lottery said.

Supporters of Arkansas’ lottery jackpot anonymity law said the measure was needed to protect the safety of winners and to give them time to put their affairs in order. For elected officials and their immediate family who win, that anonymity under the law is limited to six months.

During the jackpot cycle before the $1.8 billion was won, Powerball generated more than $15 million in cash sales in Arkansas and retailers statewide received $768,267 in commissions.