$1.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in Illinois

A Powerball jackpot of $1.04 billion was won in Illinois Wednesday night, the game says.

The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67 and 69, and a Powerball of 9.

The jackpot, which topped the $1 billion mark soon after no one won Monday’s drawing, was the eighth-largest Powerball prize of all time and the 15th time it was reached in U.S. lottery history.

The cash value for a lump sum payment was $450.5 million. Winners can also choose to take their prize in 30 annual payments that increase by 5% per year. Both the lump sum payout and the annuity payout totals are before taxes.

This is the biggest jackpot of 2026, as well. The last winner of a billion-dollar jackpot was in December last year, when a single ticket in Arkansas won $1.82 billion, the second-largest jackpot in lotto history. 

Wednesday’s drawing was the 44th since a Powerball jackpot was won on May 2, when tickets purchased in Florida and Texas split a $20 million prize.

The drawing was the first to possibly have a winner from the U.K., which began selling tickets in late July. Powerball is played in 45 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C. Tickets are $2 each.

The odds of winning the big jackpot are just 1 in 292.2 million.