The Daily Populous Thursday December 25th, 2025 evening edition
Authored by nbcnews.com and submitted by igetproteinfartsHELP

Christmas miracles, sure. But is there such a thing as a Christmas Eve miracle? After Wednesday night's Powerball drawing, one winner probably believes in them.

A lucky person who bought a ticket at a Murphy USA gas station in Cabot, Arkansas, northeast of Little Rock, will take home a whopping $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot, which has a cash option of $834.9 million.

The Christmas Eve prize is the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won and the largest Powerball prize this year, according to a news release from the Multi-State Lottery Association.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn said in the release.

Going into Wednesday night's drawing, the jackpot had grown to an estimated $1.7 billion after no winner was called Monday night.

Wednesday's Powerball drawing was the 47th in the current jackpot run, making it the longest run of drawings the prize had gone without being claimed, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.

Only in 2011 had the Powerball jackpot been won on Christmas Eve, according to the association. The jackpot has also been won four times on Christmas Day, in 1996, 2002, 2010 and 2013.

Wednesday's drawing was also the second time a Powerball jackpot has been won in Arkansas. The first time was in 2010.

The overall odds of winning a prize are 1 in 24.9, according to the release. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

Other players won big Wednesday night, too. Eight tickets matched all five white balls and were sold in California, Indiana, Michigan, New York (two), Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Their prize is $1 million.

An additional 114 tickets won $50,000 prizes, and 31 tickets won $100,000 prizes.

Powerball tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to the release. They cost $2 apiece.

LeprosyDick on December 25th, 2025 at 11:24 UTC »

Well that just ruined my Christmas. I was planning on being fuck you rich today.

itsmymedicine on December 25th, 2025 at 09:11 UTC »

Well i won 4 bucks so suck it Arkansas

---reddacted--- on December 25th, 2025 at 07:55 UTC »

There’s one family in Arkansas that’s going to have a merry Christmas