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(NEXSTAR) — The long wait is finally over: two tickets purchased in Missouri and Texas have matched the winning Powerball numbers drawn on Saturday night. These lucky ticket holders will share the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, although we might never know their identities.
The occurrence of a shared jackpot, which happens quite often, ended several tense weeks as the Powerball jackpot kept increasing. Before the drawing on Saturday, the jackpot was estimated at $1.8 billion by Powerball officials. However, by Sunday morning, it was confirmed to be $1.787 billion, with a cash payout option of $820.6 million.
Despite its massive size, the jackpot would have needed a few more rounds without a winner to hit the $2.04 billion mark, which remains the largest lottery prize recorded worldwide.
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
Though the odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are incredibly slim—1 in 292.2 million—shared tickets are not unusual. Since 2003, there have been nineteen instances of split-ticket victories, including the most recent one in 2022.
The owners of the winning tickets, bought in Missouri and Texas, will now divide the prize. The Texas ticket, as reported by the Texas Lottery, was sold in Fredericksburg, which is situated approximately 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, a lottery winner of $1 million or more can opt to keep their identity private, according to a Texas Lottery guide. However, the city or county where the winner resides may still be revealed publicly.
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.
