Christmas miracle: Arkansas ticket holder wakes up to $1.8 billion present
By Kate Northrop
One lucky lottery player in Arkansas woke up on Christmas morning with bragging rights to winning the second-largest lottery jackpot in world history worth a tearjerking $1.8168 billion.
On Christmas Eve, the 47th consecutive drawing in the latest Powerball jackpot run finally delivered the Christmas miracle that millions of players around the country have been crossing their fingers for.
Only over three months ago, the Powerball jackpot had nearly grazed the $1.8 billion mark and broken the record for the number of consecutive drawings without a winner. In just a short span of a few months, the subsequent $1.8 billion jackpot has already dethroned two previous records.
At 47 rollovers, there has never been a longer string of consecutive Powerball drawings without a winner. The last record held by September's jackpot run was 41 rollovers. This $1.8 billion prize has also secured the spot for the second-biggest lottery jackpot in world history, knocking down September's haul to number three.
The number one spot for the largest lottery prize ever awarded still goes to the $2 billion Powerball jackpot prize awarded to California resident Edwin Castro.
After all the proceeds from ticket sales were counted, the final tally landed Wednesday's jackpot ranked the biggest Powerball prize awarded this year and the 4th-largest cash value of any jackpot in history at $834.9 million (The full top-25 list of annuity and cash values can be found below).
This is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won in Arkansas, with the first and only other win occurring in 2010.
The winning ticket was sold at the Murphy USA gas station at 208 S Rockwood Drive in Cabot, according to Arkansas Lottery officials, a city of about 27,000 residents situated about a half-hour northeast of Little Rock.
"We have yet to hear from the winner, but we hope that they'll come forward soon," Arkansas Lottery Executive Director Sharon Strong told KATV. "I encourage whoever the lucky person is to meet with their financial advisor and their attorney before coming to the claims center to claim their winning ticket. We'll be open Monday at 8:00 in our downtown office. This is a great moment for the state of Arkansas. Not only will this benefit the state in tax revenue, but Murphy USA is an Arkansas company based in El Dorado, headquartered in El Dorado and so that's just a full circle moment on how much of a benefit the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery is to our state. Not only in terms of the retailer commission and the player winnings of course, but ultimately all of our revenue goes to scholarships for the college students in our state."
On top of federal taxes to pay, the Arkansas winner will pay a state tax of 3.9% on the lottery winnings. Should they choose to take the cash option of the jackpot over the annuity, they will take home about $493.47 million.
Arkansas allows big lottery winners to remain anonymous, but with a catch. Winners of $500,000 and more can keep their name confidential for three years, so the jackpot winner better hope that the public loses interest in their identity once that time is up. Lottery Post maintains a state-by-state guide to anonymity laws across the USA and some other nations.
For such a large prize, winners are encouraged to build a solid financial and legal team before claiming the prize. Hopefully they follow Lottery Post's guide for lottery winners for this advice and lots of other helpful tips for big lottery winners.
"Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner!" Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn said in a press release. "This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize. 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."
The Powerball winning numbers for Wednesday, December 24, 2025, were 4, 25, 31, 52, and 59, with Powerball number 19. The Power Play number was 2.
The Wednesday Double Play drawing results were 3, 15, 19, 29, and 35, with Powerball number 21. Double Play is a game option currently available in 22 states plus Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands that lets you play your numbers in a second drawing for an extra $1 per play, with a chance to win up to $10 million in cash. See How to Play Powerball at USA Mega for more information about Double Play.
Aside from the one big winner, there were hundreds of other significant winners in the drawing.
Eight lucky players matched the first 5 numbers for a $1,000,000 prize: 1 from California, 1 from Indiana, 1 from Michigan, 2 from New York, 1 from Ohio, 1 from Pennsylvania, and 1 from Virginia. (The California winner will claim a prize of $2,811,275, due to the state's pari-mutuel payout formula). None of the second-prize tickets were purchased with the Power Play option.
When a Powerball ticket is purchased with the Power Play option for an extra $1 per ticket, a second-prize win is doubled and any other non-jackpot prize is multiplied by the Power Play number drawn that evening. A complete list of prizes available for matching various numbers can be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega, as well as on the Powerball Prize Payouts and the Powerball Double Play Prize Payouts pages at Lottery Post.
The official drawing videos can also be found on the Powerball Drawing Detail page at USA Mega.
The Power Play option is not available in California, because the fixed nature of the prize increase offered with the Power Play is not compatible with California's pari-mutuel payouts.
Also, a total of 145 tickets matched four of the first five numbers plus the Powerball to win a $50,000 prize. Of those tickets, 31 were purchased with the Power Play option, increasing the prize to $100,000, and 23 were sold in California, where the prize awarded this drawing is $18,510.
The next Powerball drawing will take place Saturday night at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time with the jackpot amount reset to its starting point of $20 million.
Powerball is currently offered for sale in 45 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at 10:59 pm Eastern Time. Tickets cost $2 each.
Powerball lottery results are published within minutes of the drawing at USA Mega (www.usamega.com). The USA Mega Web site provides lottery players in-depth information about the United States's two biggest multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball.
Top 25 United States lottery jackpots of all time
Wednesday's Powerball jackpot was the 2nd-largest lottery jackpot in world history, eclipsing September's previous #2 jackpot.
- Powerball: $2.0401 billion, Nov. 7, 2022 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $1.8168 billion, Dec. 24, 2025 (46 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Arkansas
- Powerball: $1.7874 billion, Sep. 6, 2025 (41 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Missouri, Texas
- Powerball: $1.7649 billion, Oct. 11, 2023 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.602 billion, Aug. 8, 2023 (31 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Florida
- Powerball: $1.5864 billion, Jan. 13, 2016 (19 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $1.537 billion, Oct. 23, 2018 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - South Carolina
- Mega Millions: $1.348 billion, Jan. 13, 2023 (25 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maine
- Mega Millions: $1.337 billion, Jul. 29, 2022 (29 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Illinois
- Powerball: $1.3259 billion, Apr. 6, 2024 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $1.269 billion, Dec. 27, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.128 billion, Mar. 26, 2024 (30 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $1.0798 billion, Jul. 19, 2023 (38 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Mega Millions: $1.05 billion, Jan. 22, 2021 (36 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $983 million, Nov. 14, 2025 (39 rollovers, starting at $50 million) - Georgia
- Powerball: $842.4 million, Jan. 1, 2024 (34 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Michigan
- Mega Millions: $800 million, Sep. 10, 2024 (27 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Texas
- Powerball: $768.4 million, Mar. 27, 2019 (25 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Wisconsin
- Powerball: $758.7 million, Aug. 23, 2017 (20 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $754.6 million, Feb. 6, 2023 (33 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Washington
- Powerball: $731.1 million, Jan. 20, 2021 (35 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - Maryland
- Powerball: $699.8 million, Oct. 4, 2021 (40 rollovers, starting at $20 million) - California
- Powerball: $687.8 million, Oct. 27, 2018 (21 rollovers, starting at $40 million) - Iowa, New York
- Mega Millions: $656 million, Mar. 30, 2012 (18 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $648 million, Dec. 17, 2013 (21 rollovers, starting at $12 million) - California, Georgia
The number of jackpots in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 14
- Mega Millions: 11
Top 25 cash value jackpots
The Christmas Eve Powerball jackpot had the 4th-largest cash value in history, beating out September's Powerball jackpot.
- Powerball: $997.6 million cash, Nov. 7, 2022 ($2.0401 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $983.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2016 ($1.5864 billion annuity) - California, Florida, Tennessee
- Mega Millions: $877.8 million cash, Oct. 23, 2018 ($1.537 billion annuity) - South Carolina
- Powerball: $834.9 million cash, Dec. 24, 2025 ($1.8168 billion annuity) - Arkansas
- Powerball: $820.6 million cash, Sep. 6, 2025 ($1.7874 billion annuity) - Missouri, Texas
- Mega Millions: $794.2 million cash, Aug. 8, 2023 ($1.602 billion annuity) - Florida
- Mega Millions: $780.5 million cash, Jul. 29, 2022 ($1.337 billion annuity) - Illinois
- Mega Millions: $776.6 million cash, Jan. 22, 2021 ($1.05 billion annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $774.1 million cash, Oct. 11, 2023 ($1.7649 billion annuity) - California
- Mega Millions: $723.5 million cash, Jan. 13, 2023 ($1.348 billion annuity) - Maine
- Powerball: $621 million cash, Apr. 6, 2024 ($1.3259 billion annuity) - Oregon
- Mega Millions: $571.9 million cash, Dec. 27, 2024 ($1.269 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $558.1 million cash, Jul. 19, 2023 ($1.0798 billion annuity) - California
- Powerball: $546.8 million cash, Jan. 20, 2021 ($731.1 million annuity) - Maryland
- Mega Millions: $536.6 million cash, Mar. 26, 2024 ($1.128 billion annuity) - New Jersey
- Powerball: $496 million cash, Oct. 4, 2021 ($699.8 million annuity) - California
- Powerball: $480.5 million cash, Aug. 23, 2017 ($758.7 million annuity) - Massachusetts
- Powerball: $477 million cash, Mar. 27, 2019 ($768.4 million annuity) - Wisconsin
- Mega Millions: $471 million cash, Mar. 30, 2012 ($656 million annuity) - Illinois, Kansas, Maryland
- Mega Millions: $453.6 million cash, Nov. 14, 2025 ($983 million annuity) - Georgia
- Powerball: $450.2 million cash, Jan. 5, 2022 ($632.6 million annuity) - California, Wisconsin
- Powerball: $425.2 million cash, Jan. 1, 2024 ($842.4 million annuity) - Michigan
- Powerball: $407.2 million cash, Feb. 6, 2023 ($754.6 million annuity) - Washington
- Mega Millions: $404.2 million cash, Sep. 10, 2024 ($800 million annuity) - Texas
- Powerball: $396.2 million cash, Oct. 27, 2018 ($687.8 million annuity) - Iowa, New York
The number of jackpot cash values in the top 25, by lottery game, are:
- Powerball: 15
- Mega Millions: 10
Good on them! Winning on Christmas Day, what an amazing story
I hope they do wonderful things with that cash and bring joy to others with their new wealth. The greatest thing about winning one of these huge prizes would be that you can help so many others as well. Friends, family, charities, whatever you want to do is now possible. Thankfully you can remain anonymous in Arkansas, so no dealing with all the fake charity cases that would have swamped the winners if they had to name themselves.
Happy New Year to all.
Congrats to all the winners of all the nice prizes.
Yay, nice! Arkansas rarely gets big winners.
Congrats.
Would've preferred it to have set new record myself....
but such is the nature of the PB
Congratulations to the winner. I hope they do amazing things with the opportunity they have been blessed with. On a side note, I think the MUSL does a poor job of marketing the game as they really don't want people to play and or win often. Especially at low levels. 20M dollars (9.2M cash) is also life changing money. Anyone who wins that could take the cash, literally do NOTHING but invest in basic treasuries and still earn 17k dollars a month in perpetuity. Imagine spending 17k dollars and it basically just reappears repeatedly.
Totally happy with this one. I didn't win a dime on any of my tickets this entire run. But, I am glad it wasn't the usual suspects regarding the winning state.
Congrats to the winner(s). Long life, invest wisely, learn what it means to say "no", and don't develop any expensive "habits". Diversify, insure, and remember, steady wins the race.
I won $4, that was nice 😊
Thank you for pointing that out . ... 20 mil is nothing to sneeze at.
I don't jump in the game till the pot is at least 250 ....then I buy 1 ticket w/ pp for every 200 mil over that 250.
I know I know greedy greedy but, if I were to play and win at 20 mil ... how likely will it be that I'll win again at 2 bil?
Have a shaggy day
ShagE3
I try to be in the game all the time - I put in my $2 bait and wait.
For those that believe in the universe, what if the plan of the universe is for you to win at $20M?
But again, maybe the plan of the universe is for you to win at $250M, one just never knows.
Good luck to all and congratulations 🎉 to the winner.
Haha
for mediocre people
u do nothing
because you have no purpose in life besides working as slave
me( less than 1 percent population)
I need at least billion
to really start to live
and I still I won't stop
working ( creating businesses and art
, that change THE ENTIRE WORLD!)
It appears that all 292.2 million combination of tickets were sold out. The jackpot keeps growing until all 292.2 million unique combinations are sold.
Congrats to the lucky winner(s) that purchased their ticket in AR. May you enjoy your newly acquired wealth for a lifetime.
It did not come close to selling all the combinations. Someone just happened to get a quick pic with the right one.