Coverage spread: 3 sources — 2 left · 1 right
Lean ratings via AllSides / Media Bias-Fact-Check. How this works.
Where they agree
- A single Illinois ticket matched all six numbers (4, 26, 66, 67, 69, Powerball 9) to win the $1.04 billion jackpot.
- The prize is the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot in history and the biggest of 2026.
- Winners can choose a $450.5 million lump-sum cash payout or a 30-year annuity before taxes.
- The jackpot had rolled over for many drawings since the last win, and this was the first drawing since Powerball tickets went on sale in the U.K.
Where they differ
- The New York Post is alone in naming the specific store — a Hy-Vee Gas Fresh & Fast in Quincy, Illinois — and detailing Illinois’s prior two jackpot wins.
- CBS News and NBC News both note the last billion-dollar jackpot win, but CBS specifies it happened in December in Arkansas for $1.82 billion, while NBC frames Powerball’s history mainly around the record $2.04 billion 2022 win.
- The New York Post uniquely details the winner’s tax burden (24% federal withholding, 13% additional federal tax, 4.95% Illinois tax) and lists smaller Match 5 winners in Massachusetts, Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina.
- NBC News emphasizes the broader trend of Powerball rule changes boosting jackpot sizes over time, while CBS focuses more on drawing statistics like the 44-drawing gap and 1-in-292.2-million odds.
A single Powerball ticket sold in Illinois matched all six numbers Wednesday night to win a $1.04 billion jackpot, the eighth-largest in the game’s history. The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67 and 69, with a Powerball of 9, and the winner has not yet been identified.
How big is this jackpot and what are the payout options?
The prize is Powerball’s largest of 2026 and the 15th time a U.S. lottery jackpot has topped $1 billion. The winner can take the full amount as a 30-payment annuity spread over 29 years, with payments increasing 5% annually, or opt for a lump-sum cash payout of $450.5 million before taxes. New York Post reports the winner will face a 24% automatic federal withholding tax, an additional 13% in federal taxes owed, and a 4.95% Illinois state withholding tax.
Where was the ticket sold?
According to the New York Post, citing the Illinois lottery, the winning ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee Gas Fresh & Fast convenience store in Quincy, Illinois. This marks only the third time an Illinois ticket has won the Powerball jackpot, and the first since Ted Baumgartner of Freeport won $50 million in March 2013, taking a cash option of just over $31.3 million.
How long had the jackpot been building?
The prize had rolled over repeatedly since the last jackpot win. CBS News says Wednesday’s drawing was the 44th since May 2, when the jackpot was last claimed — split between ticket holders in Florida and Texas for $20 million. Once a jackpot is won, the prize resets to a default $20 million and grows again with each drawing that produces no winner.
Where does this rank among the biggest jackpots ever?
It’s the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot on record, surpassing the $842.4 million prize claimed on New Year’s Day 2024 by a group calling themselves “The Breakfast Club” in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The largest jackpot remains the $2.04 billion prize won in 2022, followed by $1.817 billion and $1.787 billion jackpots won last year. The most recent billion-dollar win before this one was a $1.82 billion prize claimed on Christmas Eve by Tracy Hartwick in Cabot, Arkansas — brother of North Little Rock’s mayor, Terry Hartwick — who split his winnings with another brother and a third person.
Did the new U.K. sales play a role?
Wednesday’s drawing was the first opportunity for a winner to emerge from the United Kingdom, where Powerball tickets went on sale starting July 21. No major winners were reported from the U.K. in this drawing. Powerball is currently played across 45 U.S. states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, with tickets costing $2 each and jackpot odds of 1 in 292.2 million.
Were there other notable winners?
Beyond the jackpot, the New York Post reports a Massachusetts player won $2 million by matching five white balls with the Power Play option, while four ticket holders in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina each won $1 million for matching five numbers.
Why does this keep happening?
Powerball has adjusted its rules in recent years specifically to allow jackpots to grow larger and more often, which lottery officials say has boosted player interest. Powerball chair Stephen Durrell said growing participation across markets is helping fuel bigger jackpots and generating more excitement for the game, a trend reflected in the frequency of billion-dollar prizes in the past few years.
Sources
Featured photo: Smallbones via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)