$1.04B Powerball Jackpot Ticket Sold in Illinois
A single Powerball ticket sold at a gas station in western Illinois was the sole winner of the $1.04 billion jackpot in Wednesday night’s drawing, ending a three-month drought without a top-prize winner. The winning ticket was purchased at a Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh store in Quincy, about 100 miles west of the state capital of Springfield along the Missouri border, Illinois Lottery officials confirmed.
The winning numbers were 4, 26, 66, 67, and 69, with a Powerball of 9. The prize ranks as the eighth-largest jackpot in Powerball history and the 15th $1 billion prize in U.S. lottery history. It is also the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois.
The Prize and Payment Options
The winner can choose between an annuity of $1.04 billion paid in 30 graduated payments over 29 years, increasing by 5% each year, or a lump-sum payment of $450.5 million. Both amounts are before taxes, and winners almost always take the lump sum. The jackpot resets to $20 million for Saturday’s drawing.
“Congratulations to our newest Powerball jackpot winner in Illinois,” said Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery. “For more than three decades, Powerball has shown that a winning ticket can be sold anywhere the game is played, giving every $2 ticket the chance to change not only a winner’s life, but generations to come.”
A Historic Jackpot Run
Wednesday’s drawing was the 44th in the current jackpot run, which began on May 4 after two tickets in Florida and Texas split a $20 million prize on May 2. The run also marked a historic first: it was the first Powerball jackpot run to include players from the United Kingdom, which began selling Powerball tickets on July 21 through an agreement between the Multi-State Lottery Association and Allwyn UK.
The expanded player base is expected to help accelerate jackpot growth, and this run delivered the largest Powerball prize won so far in 2026. The odds of winning the jackpot remain a minuscule 1 in 292.2 million.
Other Winners and Local Impact
More than 3 million tickets won lesser cash prizes in Wednesday’s drawing. Four tickets sold in Arizona, California, Florida, and North Carolina matched five numbers but missed the Powerball, winning $1 million each. A ticket in Massachusetts also matched five numbers with the Power Play option, winning $2 million. In Illinois, three other tickets matched four numbers plus the Powerball to win $50,000 each.
The Hy-Vee retailer will receive a $500,000 cash bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket, CBS Chicago reported.
“This is an exciting day for our Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh store on North 36th Street and the Quincy community,” said Tina Poffman, senior vice president of communications for Hy-Vee. “We’re thrilled to know that a life-changing Powerball ticket was purchased at our Hy-Vee location, and we couldn’t be happier for whoever the lucky winner may be.”
Fast & Fresh Manager Jon Marshall echoed the excitement: “It’s crazy, I’ve been getting calls since 3 a.m.”
Beyond the celebration, the jackpot run delivered significant benefits for Illinois education. Since the run began in May, Illinois Lottery players purchased more than $53.8 million in Powerball tickets, generating over $21.5 million for the Common School Fund, which supports K-12 public education throughout the state.
“We’re thrilled for the winner and the retailer that sold the winning ticket,” said Harold Mays, director of the Illinois Lottery. “Beyond celebrating this incredible win, every Powerball ticket purchased during this jackpot run also helped generate funding for Illinois public schools, demonstrating how the Lottery continues to benefit communities across the state.”
Winner Identity and Next Steps
The identity of the winner has not yet been revealed. Illinois does not require players who win prizes of $250,000 or more to come forward publicly, so the winner can choose to remain anonymous. They have one year from the date of the drawing to claim the prize.
The Guardian noted that the record lottery jackpot still stands at just over $2 billion, won with a Powerball ticket purchased in California in 2022. As the excitement in Quincy settles, all eyes now turn to Saturday’s drawing, where the jackpot resets to $20 million and the next jackpot run begins.