Can a $2 Powerball Lottery Ticket Make You a Billionaire? So far, no. But a person approached.
In September, a pair of tickets from Texas and Missouri hit big on the $1.787 billion Powerball, sharing that prize. Both winners took home the lump sum, which is significantly less than the nearly $1.8 billion Powerball prize, but still a lot of money.
On Christmas Eve 2025, a ticket from Arkansas won a Powerball total of $1.817 billion. When the winner comes forward, if he or she takes the lump sum, it will be significantly less than $1 billion after taxes. However, winners of the September and December Powerball drawings get credit for being ticket holders of a billion dollar lottery jackpot.
Here’s how much the $1.787 billion Powerball winners took home after taxes, information about the Arkansas winner of the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot and a look back at how a $2 Powerball ticket almost made someone a billionaire.
Record winnings: After the $1.8 billion Powerball win in Texas, Missouri, who took the money from the biggest jackpots in the US?
Who won the $1.787 billion Powerball drawing on September 6, 2025 in Missouri and Texas?
The $1.787 billion Powerball lottery numbers for Saturday, September 6, 2025 were 11-23-44-61-62 and the Powerball was 17.
A QuikTrip gas station and convenience store in St. Louis, Missouri and a Big’s 103 gas station and convenience store in Fredericksburg, Texas sold the winning Powerball tickets. Because there were two winners, the $1.787 billion prize was split into $893.5 million, or a one-time lump sum of $410.3 million, both before taxes.
Two weeks after the drawing, the Missouri Lottery announced that the state’s winner had come forward to claim $893.5 million of the $410.3 million cash prize. The organization said the Missouri Powerball player, who set a record and claimed the largest prize ever won by a Missouri Lottery player, “plans to take time off and enjoy the experience.”
The Texas Lottery is announcing that their state’s $1.787 billion Powerball winner has chosen the cash value — players there must choose the lump sum or annuity at the time of ticket purchase — and will also receive $410.3 million, specifically $410,324,470.28 before taxes.
On Powerball’s online site, the two winners of the September 6, 2025 Powerball drawing for $1.787 billion – an anonymous player from St. Louis, Missouri and Seven Bridges Revocable Trust of Fredericksburg, Texas – shows the split cash award option for $820.6 million.
How much did Missouri’s $1.787 billion Powerball winner take home after taxes?
The Missouri winner picked the one-time payment of about $410.3 million. By law, the Missouri Lottery cannot publish the names of lottery jackpot winners without prior consent. Effective August 28, 2021, the Missouri Lottery will publish a winner’s name only if the winner has provided written consent in accordance with HB 402.
Missouri Lottery rules state that all lottery winnings are subject to federal and state taxes, and the Missouri Lottery organization is “required to withhold Missouri state tax of 4% on prizes of $600.01 or more, along with federal tax of 24% on prizes greater than $5,000. Winners may owe additional taxes on the prize or receive a personal refund, or receive a personal reimbursement.”
Using this formula, 24% of $410.3 million equals $98.47 million, with 4% of $410.3 million equaling $16.41 million. Adding those two values and then subtracting $114.88 million from $410.3 million comes to $295.42 million for the Missouri winner.
How much will Texas’ $1.787 billion Powerball winner take home after taxes?
According to the Texas Lottery, “Winnings are subject to federal income tax withholding (prizes greater than $5,000.00). The withholding rate is 24% for lottery winnings, less wagering, for prizes greater than $5,000.”
Some states, such as Texas, are not subject to state income tax on lottery winnings.
“Only a few states—California, Florida, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming—do not impose a state tax on lottery winnings. Keep in mind that while living in these states may allow you to shield your winnings from state taxes, federal withholding and taxes will still apply,” states financial website NerdWallet.
The Texas winner of the $1.8 billion Powerball prize opted for cash at the time of ticket purchase, so their share of the prize, like the Missouri winner, is $410.3 million before taxes. The amount taken from the prize, $98.47 million or 24 percent for federal taxes, leaves the winner with $311.83 million.
However, the total lump sum is subject to a federal tax rate of up to 37%. That’s another $53.34 million on top of the $98.47 million held by the Texas Lottery. The Powerball lottery winnings would be part of the Texas winner’s 2025 federal income tax return and would ultimately leave them with $258.49 million, with no other deductions.
Who won the $1.817 billion Powerball in Arkansas on Christmas Eve, Wednesday, December 24, 2025?
After the record Powerball drawing, Powerball and Arkansas Scholarship Lottery officials reported that the ticket was purchased in the natural state. Murphy Gas Station USA, 208 S. Rockwood Drive, Cabot, Arkansas, sold the lottery ticket that matched all five numbers plus Powerball in the Powerball drawing on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, or Christmas Eve, for a jackpot of $1.7 billion. Final ticket sales pushed the grand prize to $1.817 billion.
As of Friday, December 26, 2025, the winner of the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot is unknown. The verification process usually takes several weeks, according to organizations like the California Lottery.
How much will the $1.817 billion Arkansas Christmas Eve Powerball winner take home after taxes?
The single jackpot winner could claim $1.817 billion in annual payouts or take home a one-time lump sum valued at $834.9 million. “Both prize options are before taxes. If a winner selects the annuity option, they will receive an immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year,” states Powerball.com.
According to a Forbes article published shortly after the Powerball winner was announced, “if the cash prize is chosen, the winnings will first drop to about $634.5 million after a mandatory federal withholding of 24% is applied. In addition, the winner would likely face a “federal marginal rate of 37%, based on their taxable income,” with another reduction in winnings to about $526 million (from 1.817 billion dollars).
The Arkansas Scholarship Online Lottery states that another “tax of 3.9% on prizes greater than $5,000” will be withheld.
Who is Edwin Castro? Who won the $2.04 billion Powerball drawing?
Edwin Castro of Altadena, Calif., the sole winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball drawing on Nov. 7, 2022, opted for the lump sum, which was just under $1 billion, according to the California Lottery. Castro bought the ticket that matched all five numbers plus the Powerball at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
Refusing to appear on camera, Castro claimed his prize on February 14, 2023 — Valentine’s Day — and received a check from the California Lottery for $997.6 million during a press conference. In California, it is public record to know who won a Powerball, Mega Millions or California Lottery jackpot and where the winning ticket was sold. The rules vary in other states, such as Florida, where it’s public record to know who won a lottery jackpot, although winners in that state can claim their big prize through a trust or LLC.
California, like Texas, does not impose a state tax on lottery winnings. After taxes, Castro likely walked away with $628.5 million, USA TODAY reported.
Contributing: George Petras and Javier Zarracina, USA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow her further Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on the Fort Myers News-Press: Powerball winners split $1.7 billion in Texas, Missouri, receive lump sum