A single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers in Wednesday night's drawing to win an $847 million jackpot, lottery officials said Thursday.
The winning numbers were 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56, with the red Powerball number 21 and a 2x Power Play multiplier. The jackpot, the ninth-largest in Powerball history and the second-largest of the year, carries a cash value of $363.1 million. The winner may choose between the annuitized prize of $847 million, paid over 30 years, and the one-time lump-sum payment.
It is the first Powerball jackpot to be won since August 12, when a player in Illinois claimed a $1.04 billion prize. The $847 million jackpot is also the 17th-largest lottery jackpot in American history. The odds of matching all five white balls and the Powerball are 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game. No tickets won the $2 million or $1 million Match 5 prizes in Wednesday's drawing.
The identity of the winner has not been disclosed, and Powerball's announcement did not say where in the state the ticket was sold. New Jersey law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous indefinitely. The winner faces a 24 percent federal withholding on the prize, plus New Jersey's 8 percent withholding on lottery winnings over $10,000.
The jackpot resets to $20 million for Saturday's drawing, with a cash value of about $8.6 million. Powerball drawings are held three times a week — Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The Mega Millions jackpot, meanwhile, stands at $505 million ahead of Friday night's drawing.
