Powerball ticket sold at Illinois gas station wins $1.04 billion jackpot

A single Powerball ticket sold at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy, Illinois — approximately 100 miles west of Springfield near the Missouri border — matched all numbers drawn Wednesday night to win a jackpot valued at $1.04 billion, Illinois Lottery officials confirmed. The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67, and 69, with a Powerball number of 9.

The jackpot had gone unclaimed for roughly three months, ending what both sources describe as a drought in top-prize winners. According to the Associated Press, the last Powerball jackpot had been won on May 2, when the top prize stood at $20 million.

The prize is available either as an annuity of $1 billion paid over 29 years or a lump-sum payment of $450.5 million. Both sources note that winners almost always elect the lump sum. As of the time of reporting, it was not immediately clear whether the winner had come forward.

The $1.04 billion grand prize ranks as the eighth-largest in Powerball history, according to game organizers. Both sources note that another lottery game, Mega Millions, has also produced a $1 billion jackpot winner. The all-time record lottery jackpot remains just over $2 billion, won on a Powerball ticket purchased in California in 2022.

According to the Associated Press, four tickets sold in Arizona, California, Florida, and North Carolina each matched five numbers but missed the Powerball number, making each worth $1 million. A ticket sold in Massachusetts matched all numbers except the Powerball number and won $2 million through the Power Play multiplier option, which costs an additional $1 per play. More than 3 million tickets won lesser cash prizes, according to the AP.

According to the Associated Press, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday. The AP also notes that the winning draw was the first since ticket sales began in the United Kingdom last month, with odds of winning standing at one in 292 million at $2 per play.

Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying: 'Congratulations to our newest Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois. For more than three decades, Powerball has shown that a winning ticket can be sold anywhere the game is played, giving every $2 ticket the chance to change not only a winner's life, but generations to come.'

Where sources differ

• The two sources give a slightly different distance measurement for Quincy's location from Springfield: The Guardian states approximately 160 kilometers, while the Associated Press states 161 kilometers. Both round to 100 miles.

• The identity of the winning ticket holder has not been confirmed by any source.
• Whether the winner has come forward to claim the prize was not established at the time of reporting.
• Whether the winner intends to take the lump sum or annuity option is not known.
• No comment or response from the winner, or from the Hy-Vee station where the ticket was sold, appears in any source.
• The specific date of the drawing is not clearly stated in either source beyond 'Wednesday night.'

1. The Guardian US — original — by Guardian staff reporter
2. Associated Press — by Dave Collins

Read the original at The Guardian US

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