Illinois gas station ticket wins $1 billion Powerball jackpot
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Illinois gas station ticket wins $1 billion Powerball jackpot

Summary

A Powerball ticket bought at a Hy-Vee station in Quincy, Illinois, was the sole winner of the $1 billion jackpot, the first top-prize hit in three months.

A Powerball ticket sold at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy, Illinois, won the $1 billion jackpot in Wednesday night’s drawing, ending a three-month streak without a top-prize winner. The numbers drawn were 4-26-66-67-69 with the Powerball 9, and the ticket was the only one to match all six numbers, lottery officials said.

The prize can be taken as an annuity paid over 29 years or a lump-sum payment of $450.5 million, with most winners opting for the cash option. The $1.04 billion prize ranks as the eighth-largest in Powerball history.

"Congratulations to our newest Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois," said Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, in a statement.

Four other tickets matched five numbers but missed the Powerball, each earning $1 million, while a ticket in Massachusetts that missed only the Powerball earned $2 million thanks to the Power Play multiplier. More than three million tickets won smaller cash prizes.

The jackpot will reset to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday.

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