A Powerball player has won a whopping $1.817 billion (£1.3 billion) jackpot in a Christmas Eve prize draw.
The single winning ticket, bought in Arkansas, matched all six numbers – 04, 25, 31, 52, 59, and the Powerball 19.
It is only the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticketholder in Arkansas and represents the second biggest lottery win in US history.
Winners can either opt for a lump-sum payment – $834.9 million in this case – or receive the full amount in an annuity paid over 29 years.
Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO, said: ‘Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner!
‘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 prize followed 46 consecutive drawings in which no one matched all six numbers.
The last drawing with a jackpot winner was September 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.
Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas.
It first happened in 2010.
The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said.
The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.
Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins.
Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.
‘With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?’ Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.
Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands.
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