Powerball winner in Illinois scoops $1 billion jackpot
An Illinois ticket holder has won a Powerball jackpot worth about $1 billion, one of the largest prizes in the lottery’s history. The win ends a lengthy run without a jackpot winner and highlights the vast sums generated when rollovers attract widespread ticket sales.
The winning ticket matched all six numbers required for the top prize, although the winner’s identity and whether they will choose a lump-sum payment or annual instalments were not immediately known. Powerball jackpots are advertised as annuity values paid over decades; the available cash option is substantially lower before federal and state taxes.
- Illinois ticket wins roughly $1 billion Powerball jackpot
- Winner’s identity was not immediately known
- Cash payout will be far below headline prize
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Powerball is a lottery played across most of the United States, including Illinois. Players choose five main numbers and one separate Powerball number; matching all six wins the jackpot.
The top prize grows each time a drawing passes without a winner, because ticket sales add to the prize pool. This can produce jackpots worth hundreds of millions or billions of dollars and draw more people to buy tickets.
Advertised jackpots are usually paid as annual instalments over about 30 years. Winners can instead choose a smaller one-off cash payment, and both options are generally subject to tax.