(NEXSTAR) — The run is finally over: two tickets, sold in Missouri and Texas, were able to match the jackpot-winning Powerball numbers drawn Saturday night. The ticketholders will now split the second-largest lottery jackpot in the U.S., but we may never know who they are.
The split-ticket victory, which isn’t uncommon, brought to a close multiple suspenseful weeks as the Powerball jackpot continued to grow. Ahead of Saturday’s drawing, Powerball estimated the jackpot to be $1.8 billion, but, as of Sunday morning, game officials say the prize totaled $1.787 billion, with a cash value of $820.6 million.
While its size is nothing to sneeze at, the jackpot needed at least a couple of more drawings without a winner to reach the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot that currently ranks as the largest lottery prize in the world.
Top 10 largest Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots
- $2.04 billion (Powerball): Nov. 7, 2022; California
- $1.787 billion (Powerball): Sept. 6, 2025; Missouri, Texas
- $1.765 billion (Powerball): Oct. 11, 2023; California
- $1.602 billion (Mega Millions): Aug. 8, 2023; Florida
- $1.586 billion (Powerball): Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee
- $1.537 billion (Mega Millions): Oct. 23, 2018; South Carolina
- $1.348 billion (Mega Millions): Jan. 13, 2023; Maine
- $1.337 billion (Mega Millions): July 29, 2022; Illinois
- $1.326 billion (Powerball): April 6, 2024; Oregon
- $1.269 billion (Mega Millions): Dec. 27, 2024; California
As abysmal as the Powerball jackpot odds are — you have a 1 in 292.2 million chance of winning — split tickets aren’t uncommon. This is the nineteenth split-ticket Powerball jackpot since 2003, including the most recent in 2022.
The holders of the two jackpot-winning tickets, one each sold in Missouri and Texas, will now split the prize money. The latter, according to the Texas Lottery, was sold in Fredericksburg, located about 70 miles north of San Antonio.
As monumentous as this Powerball jackpot is, we may never know who actually won the life-changing prize.
Missouri and Texas are among the few states that offer anonymity to winners of such large lottery prizes.
According to the Missouri Lottery, the name of a lottery winner is only shared if they provide written consent.
In Texas, those who win $1 million or more while playing the lottery may choose to remain anonymous, a guide from the Texas Lottery explains. The winner’s city or county of residence may still be publicly available.
Regardless, it likely won’t be long until the prizes are claimed. In both Missouri and Texas, winners have 180 days from the draw date to claim their winnings — which, after being split, will be worth $893.5 million in annuity payments or $410.3 million in cash, before taxes.
The Powerball jackpot will now reset to $20 million with a cash value of $9.2 million. The next drawing is Monday at 10:59 p.m. ET.
