Arkansas Player Wins Historic $1.8 Billion Powerball Jackpot on Christmas Eve

It turned into a once-in-a-lifetime Christmas for one incredibly lucky Powerball player in Arkansas.

A single ticket sold at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot matched all the numbers in the Christmas Eve drawing, locking in a jaw-dropping $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot. Thanks to a late surge in ticket sales, the final jackpot climbed to $1.817 billion, with a cash option of about $834.9 million—now officially the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.

What made this win extra special

• ? Christmas Eve victory — the first holiday jackpot ever to cross $1 billion

• ? 47 drawings in this run, a Powerball record

• ? Biggest Powerball prize of the year

The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52, and 59, with Powerball 19 and a Power Play of 2.

Powerball officials called it a life-changing moment, noting how rare and historic this win truly is. Cabot, a quiet suburb outside Little Rock with just over 27,000 residents, suddenly became the center of lottery history.

Plenty of other winners, too

While only one ticket hit the jackpot:

• 8 tickets won $1 million each across seven states

• 114 tickets scored $50,000

• 31 tickets picked up $100,000

After this massive payout, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing.

Winners can choose between:

• A lump-sum payout (the most popular option), or

• An annuity plan with one upfront payment and 29 yearly payments that grow by 5 percent

Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET.