Powerball winner who hit $1.8 billion jackpot bought the ticket from an unlikely place
Most Americans have entered 2026 with concerns about their financial condition because of rising prices and debt. But for one Powerball lottery winner, the year has started with a bang. On December 30, the Powerball officials announced that a lone winner in the Christmas Eve drawing matched all five winning numbers and the Powerball to win $1.817 billion, the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. The winner, who bought the ticket from a gas station, is yet to come forward and claim the prize.
Before the draw, the Christmas Eve Powerball inched to $1.7 billion, but final ticket sales pushed it to the second-highest lottery prize in the country's history.
Alejandra Barron, a spokesperson for the company, told local news station, Wane15 that a telephone message was left at the store on Friday, but it has not been returned yet. The official added that stores are busy during this time with many shoppers purchasing Powerball tickets. This is the second time that a major jackpot-winning ticket was sold at a Murphy USA store. Last year, the $800 million ticket of the Mega Millions state lottery was also purchased from a Murphy Express in Sugar Land, Texas, Barron said.
Cabot's Mayor, Ken Kincade, told the publication that the entire community was buzzing with the news on New Year's Eve. “It’s all over Facebook, Twitter. Everyone’s talking about it and wants to know who it is," Kincade said. However, the Mayor added that the gas station is located near an interstate, so the winner could be from out of town as well. “I hope it’s a citizen from Cabot, of course. That would be wonderful," Kincade added.
The lucky winner has 180 days or 6 months to claim their prize. They will also have the option to take the annuitized price of $1.817 billion or a lump sum payment of $834.9, both pre-tax. The lottery proceeds are also subject to the state individual income tax in Arkansas, which has a top rate of 3.9%. This means if the winner chooses to take the lump sum amount, they will owe over $32 million in taxes to the state.
Furthermore, under Arkansas law, individuals who win more than $500,000 in lotteries can request to keep their identity confidential for up to three years, but if the winner is an elected official or a close relative of an official, the period is only 6 months. The Murphy USA 7879 store will also receive a $50,000 retailer commission for selling the winning ticket, and the proceeds from the Powerball ticket sales will go toward the funding of Arkansas student scholarships.
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