Markets 
The Land of Lincoln just got a whole lot richer.
A Powerball player in Illinois won the $1.04 billion jackpot Wednesday night, the game’s largest grand prize of the year.
The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67, 69 and the red Powerball 9.
The Prairie State ticket holder, who has yet to be identified, can choose between the $1 billion prize or a one-time $450.5 million cash payout before taxes.
Wednesday’s golden ticket, which broke a 44-drawing dry spell, was sold at the Hy-Vee Gas Fresh & Fast convenience store in Quincy, Ill., according to the state lottery.
It is the third time the Powerball jackpot was purchased in Illinois and the first since Ted Baumgartner of Freeport won the $50 million drawing on March 30. 2013. The father of three chose the $31,367,629 cash option, according to the lottery.
The odds of hitting the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338.
“Congratulations to our newest Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois,” Powerball chair Stephen Durrell said. “As participation continues to grow across markets, players are helping fuel larger jackpots and create even greater excitement for the game.”
It was the first jackpot win since Powerball began being sold in England, but no major winners were announced across the pond.
One Massachusetts player scored a $2 million payday with Match 5, matching all five white balls playing the Power Play option.
Four ticket holders in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina all won $1 million as Match 5 winners.
The new billionaire will be subject to an automatic 24 percent federal withholding tax, an additional 13 percent in federal taxes and the 4.95 percent tax withholding from Illinois.
It is the eighth-largest jackpot win in Powerball’s history, surpassing the $842.4 million winner on New Year’s Day in 2024.
The historic holiday prize was claimed by “The Breakfast Club,” who chose the $425.2 million cash sum after purchasing the winning ticket at a Food Castle grocery store in Grand Blanc, Mich.
Powerball’s grand prize was last hit when two ticket holders in Texas and Florida shared the $20 million payout on May 2.
The Texas player, who remained anonymous, chose the $9,000,000 cash option, which was split to $4,500,000 because of the share.
The Florida ticket remains unclaimed.
Wednesday’s win is the largest since Tracy Hartwick won the $1.82 billion Powerball jackpot drawing on Christmas Eve in Cabot, Arkansas.
Hartwick, whose brother Terry Hartwick is serving his third term as North Little Rock mayor, claimed the second-largest Powerball jackpot in history.
The new billionaire’s name remained confidential only for six months since he is the sibling of an elected official, according to Arkansas Act 889 of 2021.
Hartwick chose the one-time cash sum option and split it with his other brother and a third non-relative.
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