Two Powerball Winner Tickets Sold for Nearly $1.8 Billion Jackpot

The suspense of the massive Powerball jackpot has finally come to an end, with two winning tickets sold in Missouri and Texas for a final prize of $1.787 billion. The wins bring an end to a three-month streak of no jackpot winners, marking a historic moment for the popular multi-state lottery.

Jackpot Split: Winning Tickets Found in Two States

The lottery confirmed that two tickets matched all five white balls and the red Powerball in Saturday night’s drawing. The winning numbers were: 11, 23, 44, 61, 62, with the red Powerball of 17.

The winning ticket in Texas was sold at a Big’s convenience store in Fredericksburg, a location that will now be forever linked to one of the largest lottery prizes in history. In Missouri, the winning ticket was sold somewhere within the state, though officials have yet to reveal the specific location in accordance with their standard procedure. The location is expected to be announced within the next 72 hours.

In addition to the two grand prize winners, a number of other lucky players won big, including two tickets in Kansas and Texas that won a $2 million prize, and 18 tickets across 13 states that won $1 million each.

The Payout: What’s Next for a Powerball Winner

Each of the winning ticket holders has the option to choose between two life-changing payouts:

• An annuitized prize of $893.5 million, paid out in 30 annual installments.
• A one-time, lump sum payment of $410.3 million, before taxes.

For the new Powerball Winners, the next steps are critical. Lottery officials in both states have advised the ticket holders to sign the back of their tickets immediately and secure them in a safe place. They are also encouraged to seek legal and financial counsel before officially claiming their prize, a process that can take time to ensure a smooth transition into their newfound wealth.

A Look at Powerball History

The $1.787 billion jackpot is now the second-largest U.S. lottery prize ever won, trailing only the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot from November 2022. The incredible payout followed 42 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, a stretch that began in May and fueled the growing prize pool to its historic size.

As the lottery community waits to learn the identity of the two new Powerball Winners, the jackpot has now reset to a starting value of $20 million for the next drawing, a number that seems small in comparison but still offers a chance at a life-altering prize.