Powerball player in Illinois wins $1 billion jackpot

Powerball lottery tickets (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

A Powerball ticket sold in Illinois matched all six numbers in Wednesday night's drawing, winning an estimated $1.04 billion jackpot, according to the lottery organization.

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

It's the largest Powerball jackpot so far this year, and the eight-largest Powerball jackpot in the game's history.

The winner can top for the annuitized prize paid out over 29 years or a lump cash payment of $450.5 million. Both prizes are before taxes.

Wednesday's drawing was the 44th consecutive drawing since the last jackpot win on May 2.

Last year, there were two Powerball jackpots that hit more than $1 billion, including $1.8 billion jackpot won on Christmas Eve that was the biggest U.S. lottery prize ever.

A $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot won in September 2025 by two tickets in Missouri and Texas was the third-largest prize in U.S. lottery history.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.