A Powerball ticket bought at a gas station near Little Rock, Arkansas, has landed a massive $1.817 billion jackpot in Wednesday’s Christmas Eve draw, concluding the lottery’s three-month dry spell without a top-prize winner.

The winning numbers were 04, 25, 31, 52, and 59, with the Powerball number 19. The lucky ticket was purchased at a Murphy USA in Cabot, as announced by Arkansas lottery officials on Thursday. When contacted, the station was unresponsive, as it was closed for Christmas. Cabot, a community of about 27,000 residents, is located 26 miles northeast of Little Rock.

Thanks to brisk ticket sales, the jackpot soared to become the second-largest ever in U.S. history and the biggest Powerball prize of 2025, according to powerball.com. The jackpot offered a lump-sum cash option of $834.9 million.

“Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” stated Matt Strawn, Powerball Product Group Chair and CEO of the Iowa Lottery, as quoted on the website. “We also extend our gratitude to all the players who participated in this jackpot streak — each ticket purchased contributes to public programs and services nationwide.”

This monumental win comes after 46 drawings went by without anyone matching all six numbers.

The last drawing with a jackpot winner was Sept. 6, when players in Missouri and Texas won $1.787 billion.

Organizers said it is the second time the Powerball jackpot has been won by a ticket sold in Arkansas. It first happened in 2010.

The last time someone won a Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve was in 2011, Powerball said. The company added that the sweepstakes also has been won on Christmas Day four times, most recently in 2013.

Powerball’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to generate big jackpots, with prizes growing as they roll over when no one wins. Lottery officials note that the odds are far better for the game’s many smaller prizes.

“With the prize so high, I just bought one kind of impulsively. Why not?” Indianapolis glass artist Chris Winters said Wednesday.

Tickets cost $2, and the game is offered in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

___

Associated Press videojournalist Obed Lamy in Indianapolis contributed.

___

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.