A Powerball player in Arkansas has won a $1.817 billion lottery jackpot

A Powerball player in Arkansas has won the $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday's Christmas Eve drawing, ending a three-month streak without a top-prize winner. The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52, 59, with the Powerball number being 19. This jackpot is the second-largest in U.S. history and the largest Powerball prize of 2025, with a lump sum cash payment option of $834.9 million. The win followed 46 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. This is the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas, the first being in 2010. The last time a Powerball jackpot was won on Christmas Eve was in 2011. Powerball's odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to create large jackpots that grow with rollovers. Tickets cost $2 and are sold in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Lottery officials highlight that the odds for smaller prizes are significantly better.