Illinois Ticket Claims Sole $1 Billion Powerball Jackpot

A single Powerball ticket purchased at a gas station in western Illinois has won the $1 billion jackpot, bringing an end to a three-month stretch without a top-prize winner. Illinois Lottery officials confirmed the winning ticket was sold at a Hy-Vee station in Quincy, a city located roughly 100 miles west of Springfield near the Missouri border.

The winning numbers drawn Wednesday night were 4, 26, 66, 67, and 69, with a Powerball number of 9. The identity of the winner has not yet been revealed.

The prize can be claimed as an annuity paid out over 29 years, totaling $1 billion, or as a one-time lump sum of $450.5 million. Historical patterns suggest winners typically opt for the cash payment.

This marks the first Powerball jackpot win since May 2, when the top prize was $20 million. It is also the first jackpot won since ticket sales expanded to the United Kingdom last month. The odds of winning the grand prize stand at one in 292 million, based on a $2 per play cost.

The $1.04 billion grand prize ranks as the eighth-largest in Powerball history. Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, congratulated the winner in a statement, noting that the game's three-decade history shows a winning ticket can be sold anywhere.

Several other tickets came close in Wednesday's drawing. Four tickets—sold in Arizona, California, Florida, and North Carolina—matched five numbers but missed the Powerball, each winning $1 million. A ticket in Massachusetts also matched five numbers but won $2 million thanks to the Power Play multiplier option, which costs an extra $1 per play.

More than 3 million tickets won smaller cash prizes. The jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday. The all-time record lottery jackpot remains just over $2 billion, won with a Powerball ticket in California in 2022.