Someone In Illinois Has Won The $1 Billion Powerball Jackpot
on
An Illinois resident is waking up a billionaire after the latest Powerball drawing.
The Powerball jackpot was worth an estimated $1.040 billion on Wednesday night (Aug. 12), making it the eighth-largest jackpot in the game’s history.
It’s been confirmed that a ticket holder matched all of the winning numbers: 26, 67, 69, 66, 4, and Powerball 9. The winning ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee gas station in Quincy, Illinois.
Who Won The Powerball?
As of right now, nobody has publicly come forward to claim the billion-dollar prize. But that doesn’t mean the winner has lost their chance.
They do have one year to come forward and claim their winnings once they realize they’re holding the winning ticket.
And even if they do claim the prize, we may never know who the lucky winner is. Illinois law allows lottery winners to request anonymity, meaning they can choose to keep their identity private.
However, if they choose to remain anonymous, they’ll have to fill out the Illinois Lottery Winner Claim Form when they claim their prize. If they don’t submit the form, or if they fill it out incorrectly, lottery officials can release the winner’s name, hometown, and the amount they won, according to the Illinois Lottery.
How Does The Winner Get Paid?
If someone claims the jackpot, they’ll have two options: take the full $1.040 billion annuity paid in 30 payments over the next 29 years, or, they can choose a $450.5 million lump-sum cash option. Both amounts are before taxes.
What Happens If Nobody Claims The $1.040 Billion?
If nobody comes forward by the winning tickets expiration date, all of the funds will be redistributed to all participating state lotteries.
The winner can not recieve their prize after the expiration date under any circumstances.
The next Powerball will take place this Saturday, August 15, resetting to $20 million. They take place on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
See the Top 10 Jackpot winnings, per the Powerball website, below.
- $2.040 billion on Nov. 7, 2022 (California)
- $1.817 billion on Dec. 24, 2025 (Arkansas)
- $1.787 billion on Sept. 6, 2025 (Missouri and Texas)
- $1.765 billion on Oct. 11, 2023 (California)
- $1.586 billion on Jan. 13, 2016 (California, Florida, and Tennessee)
- $1.326 billion on April 6, 2024 (Oregon)
- $1.080 billion on July 19, 2023 (California)
- $1.04 billion on Aug. 12, 2026 (Illinois)
- $842.4 million on Jan. 1, 2024 (Michigan)
- $768.4 million on March 27, 2019 (Wisconsin)
