An anonymous Powerball player has won a record-breaking $167.3 million jackpot in Kentucky, the largest in the state’s history.
The winning ticket was sold at a gas station in Georgetown, marking a historic moment for the Kentucky Lottery, WKYT reports. The winning numbers drawn on Saturday were 1, 12, 14, 18, 69, with a Powerball of 2.
This prize surpasses the previous Kentucky record of $128.6 million, won in December 2009—also in Georgetown. The last Powerball jackpot win in Kentucky was in December 2010, in Simpsonville, making this new win a historic end to a decade-long dry spell.
Mary Harville, Kentucky Lottery President and CEO, highlighted the importance of the win. “This is truly another historic moment for the Kentucky Lottery, our retailers, and more importantly, our players,” she said.
The winner’s identity has not yet been made public, and it remains unclear if or when it will be revealed.
Meanwhile, another state faces a race against time to find a $1 million Powerball winner. Officials in Illinois are searching for the owner of an unclaimed ticket purchased in Melrose Park. According to Powerball rules, players have one year from the drawing date to claim their prize. If the ticket goes unclaimed, the winnings will be forfeited, and the winner’s identity will remain unknown.
The Kentucky winner will also face important choices, including whether to accept the prize as a lump sum or in annuity payments over time. Like Illinois, Kentucky taxes lottery winnings. Illinois charges a 4.95% tax on lottery prizes exceeding $5,000 in a single payment, a detail many winners must consider when deciding how to receive their money.
