Two New York lottery players have become millionaires after the historic Powerball drawing on December 24, 2023. The jackpot of an astonishing $1.817 billion was claimed by a single ticket sold in Arkansas, but New Yorkers are celebrating as well. Each of the two winning tickets from New York, which matched all five white balls, earned their holders $1 million each.
The winning tickets were purchased at Smiley’s Stop N Shop in Sidney, located in Delaware County, and at Ultra Fuel in Lindenhurst, part of Suffolk County. The numbers drawn in the Powerball drawing were white balls 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, and the red Powerball 19, with a Power Play multiplier of 2. In addition to the million-dollar prizes, New York reported eight tickets winning $50,000, along with 252 tickets winning $100, and numerous smaller prizes.
The winner of the Arkansas ticket becomes the second-largest lottery winner in U.S. history. They face a choice between an annuitized prize of $1.817 billion or a lump sum payment of $834.9 million. The annuity option consists of one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5 percent each year. Both options are subject to taxes.
Nationwide, a total of eight tickets matched all five white balls to win at least $1 million. These winning Match 5 tickets were sold across several states, including California, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
This latest drawing marked the 47th in the current jackpot run, setting a record for the most consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The previous jackpot was won on September 6, 2023, when two tickets in Missouri and Texas split a prize of $1.787 billion. Notably, this is the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas, the first occurring in 2010.
Looking ahead, the Powerball jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing scheduled for Saturday night. Powerball tickets, which cost $2 each, are available in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The overall odds of winning any prize are estimated at 1 in 24.9, while the odds of winning the jackpot stand at a staggering 1 in 292.2 million.
As excitement builds for the next drawing, lottery enthusiasts continue to dream big, hoping to join the ranks of this latest round of winners.
