A single Powerball ticket sold in Illinois has won an estimated $1.04 billion jackpot, ending a 44-drawing stretch without a grand-prize winner and delivering the largest U.S. lottery jackpot so far in 2026.
The winning ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy, Illinois, near the Missouri border. The winning numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing were 4, 26, 66, 67 and 69, with 9 as the Powerball number.
The winner has not yet been identified and had not come forward as of Thursday. Illinois Lottery officials said the ticket was sold at a Hy-Vee location in Quincy, about 100 miles west of Springfield.
READ: Powerball jackpot reaches $1.5 billion after no Wednesday winner (December 18, 2025)
The jackpot is the eighth-largest in Powerball history. The winner can choose between an estimated $1.04 billion annuity, paid through 30 graduated payments over 29 years, or a $450.5 million lump-sum payment, with both amounts before taxes.
The jackpot had been building since May 2, when Powerball last produced a grand-prize winner. Wednesday’s drawing marked the 44th consecutive drawing without a jackpot winner before the Illinois ticket matched all six numbers
The winning ticket was purchased for $2, the standard Powerball ticket price. The odds of matching all six numbers and winning the jackpot are about 1 in 292.2 million.
The drawing also produced several other major winners. Five tickets matched all five white balls without the Powerball. Tickets sold in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina won $1 million each, while a Massachusetts ticket with the Power Play option won $2 million.
More than 3 million tickets won prizes in Wednesday night’s drawing, according to Powerball. The jackpot will now reset to an estimated $20 million for the next drawing.
READ: India’s ban on real-money online games threatens fantasy gaming industry’s survival (
The Illinois win also comes shortly after Powerball expanded ticket sales internationally, with players in the United Kingdom becoming eligible to participate in July. The move is expected to broaden the game’s player base and potentially contribute to larger jackpots over time.
The record Powerball jackpot remains the $2.04 billion prize won by a ticket purchased in California in 2022.
For now, the Illinois winner faces a choice between receiving the full advertised prize through an annuity or taking the substantially smaller cash option upfront. The identity of the winner will depend on when and how the ticket is claimed and Illinois’ rules governing disclosure.