Single Store-Bought Ticket Wins $1.04 Billion Powerball, Year’s Largest

A single lottery ticket sold at a U.S. convenience store has claimed a jackpot of more than $1 billion, the largest Powerball prize of the year.

The winning ticket for a $1.04 billion (about 1.48 trillion won) Powerball jackpot was sold in Illinois, the New York Post reported, with the drawing held on the 12th local time. It is the biggest Powerball prize awarded this year.

The winner matched all six numbers to claim the jackpot of more than $1 billion.

The prize also ranks as the eighth-largest in Powerball history, surpassing the $842.4 million won on New Year’s Day 2024. The total swelled after no top-prize winner emerged for 44 consecutive drawings.

The winner’s identity has not yet been confirmed. The ticket was sold at a Hy-Vee Gas Fresh & Fast convenience store in Quincy, Illinois, according to reports.

It marks the third time a Powerball jackpot winner has come from Illinois. The state’s most recent jackpot winner emerged in March 2013, taking home $50 million at the time. This win means Illinois has produced a Powerball top prize again after about 13 years.

The odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 292,201,338 — beating chances of roughly one in hundreds of millions.

The latest drawing also produced high-value winners in several other regions. Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina each had a $1 million winner, while a $2 million winner emerged in Massachusetts.

The winner can take the $1.04 billion as an annuity paid out over time or opt for a lump sum of $450.5 million before taxes. Choosing the lump sum sharply reduces the amount actually pocketed compared with the advertised jackpot figure.

Before this jackpot, the last major Powerball prize was a $1.82 billion award in Arkansas on Christmas Eve last year. This $1.04 billion jackpot also found its winner after 44 drawings passed with no top-prize winner.

Powerball Product Group Chair Steven Durrell congratulated the new winner in Illinois, saying growing participation across multiple markets is driving up prize amounts and heightening enthusiasm for the game.