Arkansas Ticket Wins $1.817 Billion Powerball Jackpot

A single ticket sold in Cabot, Arkansas, has won the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot in the December 24 drawing, making it the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history. The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, and the red Powerball 19. The ticket was purchased at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, a city located approximately 26 miles northeast of Little Rock. The winner has the option to receive the prize as a lump sum of $834.9 million or as an annuity paid over 30 years. The identity of the ticket holder remains unknown, as lottery claim centers were closed for the holidays and are set to reopen after Christmas. This marks the second time a Powerball jackpot ticket has been sold in Arkansas; the first was in 2010. Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with the odds of winning the jackpot being 1 in 292.2 million.