A gas station in Fredericksburg sold one of the two Powerball tickets that won the $1.8 billion prize. Lottery officials say the winner in Texas decided to get $410.3 million all at once.
A Texas Lottery player who bought a ticket at a convenience store in Fredericksburg is one of two people who won the nearly $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot on Saturday, officials revealed on Sunday.
They bought the winning ticket at Big's 103, a Valero gas station at 11905 E. Hwy. 290, according to the Texas Lottery. It is one of only two tickets nationwide that won the jackpot. The other was bought in Missouri. Each player will get half of the second-largest prize in U.S. lotto history: $1.787 billion.
Authorities say the winner from Texas picked the cash value option and will get a lump sum of $410.3 million before taxes. If the winner had chosen the annuity option, they would have received $893.5 million over 30 years, with annual payments increasing by 5% per year.
One in 292.2 million people will win the Powerball prize.
The Missouri and Texas lotteries sold the winning tickets, which is excellent news for the new Powerball prize winners, said Matt Strawn, chair of the Powerball Product Group and CEO of the Iowa Lottery. "Every $2 ticket bought during this Powerball jackpot run gave players a chance to win and also helped fund important community programs and services, which is something to be proud of!"
The numbers that won on Saturday were 11, 23, 44, 61, and 62, and the Powerball number was 17. Along with the jackpot, a person from Texas won an extra $2 million by matching all five white balls and choosing the Power Play option, which costs an additional $1 per ticket.
The Texas Lottery has not yet named the Fredericksburg winner. They will have to go to Austin to claim their prize. Winners of $1 million or more can stay nameless under state law.
This win is only the second time in Powerball history that a prize has been worth more than $1.5 billion. The sum is $1.787 billion. The $2.04 billion prize won in California in November 2022 remains the biggest single prize ever won.
Lottery officials told players that, although big wins are rare, selling tickets generates revenue for the state's schools and public services.
