A single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey has won the estimated 847 million dollar jackpot, ending a two-month stretch without a top-prize winner, lottery officials said on Thursday.
The winning numbers in Wednesday night’s drawing were 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, with the red Powerball number 21, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game. The ticket also included a 2x Power Play multiplier.
The winner, whose identity has not been disclosed, may take the full annuity estimated at 847 million dollars or opt for a one-time cash payment of 363.1 million dollars, according to lottery officials. Both figures are before taxes.
Ninth largest in history
The prize ranks as the ninth-largest jackpot in Powerball history, according to game officials. It surpasses the 768.4 million dollar jackpot won in Wisconsin in March 2019, and is the second-largest jackpot of the year.
Wednesday’s jackpot was the first to be won since August 12, when an Illinois ticket matched the numbers for a 1.04 billion dollar prize, according to reports. The drawing was the 35th since that win, after 34 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner.
What happens next
The jackpot for Saturday’s drawing will reset to 20 million dollars, according to MyNewsLA, with a cash value of about 9 million dollars. Powerball drawings are held three times each week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59pm Eastern Time.
New Jersey allows winners to remain anonymous indefinitely, according to state law, so the ticket holder may never be publicly identified. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are approximately 1 in 292,201,338, according to the lottery.
