Gaming And Lottery News

Illinois ticket bags Powerball’s $1.04B prize with five winning numbers

Powerball’s eighth-largest prize in history was won by a single ticket sold in Illinois, delivering a $1.04 billion jackpot with numbers 4-26-66-67-69 and Powerball 9 (Power Play x2). The winner can take about $450.5 million as a lump sum before taxes or opt for 29 annual payments; taxes will reduce the amount based on state and federal rules. Three other tickets matched all five white balls for $1 million (AZ, FL, NC); California also won the $1 million Match 5 prize and Massachusetts won $2 million with Power Play. The overall odds of hitting the grand prize are 1 in 292.2 million. Anonymity rules vary by state, with Virginia now allowing winner anonymity and Illinois permitting it for prizes of $250,000 or more; many states still disclose some information.