Tag: lottery news

Posted on: January 17, 2026, 03:29h. 

Last updated on: January 17, 2026, 03:29h.

• The Powerball ticket worth $1.817 billion, sold in Arkansas, remains at large
• The Arkansas Lottery says the ticket must be redeemed by June 22, 2026

Gossip is running rampant across Arkansas regarding who is the lucky winner of the Christmas Eve Powerball jackpot worth $1.817 billion.

It’s been nearly a month since a ticket sold at the Murphy USA gas station in Cabot next to the Walmart Supercenter matched the Dec. 24 Powerball numbers of 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, and the red Powerball 19. The winner of the life-changing windfall has the choice of receiving the full jackpot paid out over 29 years or a one-time cash option of $834.9 million. Both are before federal and state taxes.

Major lottery winners typically consult with an attorney and/or financial advisor before coming forward. But as the clock ticks, rumors about what’s going on grow louder.

If I go into a local grocery store, if I go anywhere in town, someone asks me about it,” Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans (R-Cabot) told the Arkansas Advocate. “Typically, it’s, ‘Hey Brian, were you the winner?’”

Evans is not the winner, he says. Being an elected official, Evans would not be afforded the state’s three-year anonymity privilege.

Lottery Gossip

Arkansas allows a Powerball ticket to be redeemed within 180 days of the draw. That means the Christmas Eve Powerball ticket must be redeemed by June 22, 2026.

With Cabot centrally located and the ticket purchased at a gas station just off Interstate 57, which nearly runs the length of the state from Missouri to Texas, the winner could truly be anyone. It could be an Arkansas resident, or someone passing through who decided to grab a Powerball play.

Neighbors are looking across the street, wondering if they’re the ones poised to become massively rich. Colleagues are inquiring at the water cooler if their coworker is readying to quit and cash in the Powerball ticket.

But as each day passes, more speculation arises that the winning paper ticket might be lost or accidentally trashed. The ticket won’t be redeemed until at least Tuesday, Jan. 21, as the Arkansas Lottery’s Claim Centers are closed on the weekends and on Monday, Jan. 20, in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The winner, in addition to choosing between the annuity or lump sum, must also decide whether they will remain anonymous for three years. After three years, Arkansas requires lottery winners to become part of the public record.

The $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot is the second-largest lottery prize in US history behind the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in November 2022.

Is Tonight Your Turn?

Time will tell if the Christmas Eve Powerball drawing indeed changed someone’s life. Tonight is another opportunity, though the jackpot is a considerably smaller prize.

Powerball has grown from the Christmas Eve hit to an estimated jackpot of $179 million for tonight’s draw. The lump sum option is at $81.5 million.

Mega Millions currently has a larger jackpot at $250 million ($113.5 million cash). Mega Millions is next drawn on Tuesday, Jan. 20.