New Jersey Powerball Ticket Wins $847 Million Jackpot as Bergen County Sale Ends Streak of 35 Drawings

TRENTON, N.J. — A single Powerball ticket sold in New Jersey matched all six numbers in Wednesday night's drawing to win an $847 million jackpot, one of the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history and the biggest Powerball jackpot ever won in the Garden State.

The grand prize has an estimated cash value of $363.1 million and is the ninth-largest Powerball jackpot ever won, according to Powerball.

The white balls drawn Wednesday were 15, 34, 41, 53 and 56. The red Powerball was 21, and the Power Play multiplier was 2X.

Sold in Bergen County

The winning ticket was sold in the northern part of the state. Lottery officials said only that the winning ticket was sold in Bergen County. As of Thursday morning, the New Jersey Lottery had not said which store sold the ticket, and nobody had come forward to claim it.

The winner may never be publicly identified. New Jersey law allows lottery winners to remain anonymous.

The prize sets a state record. The $847 million jackpot is the biggest Powerball prize ever won in New Jersey. The previous high-water mark came in 2016, when a ticket sold at a 7-Eleven in Trenton won a $429.6 million Powerball jackpot.

Lump sum or annuity

The winner faces a major financial decision. They can choose between an annuitized prize of $847 million or a lump-sum payment of $363.1 million. Under the annuity option, the winner would receive 30 payments over 29 years, with the payments increasing annually. Both prize options are before taxes.

Taxes will take a substantial bite. One estimate from SNJ Today put the cash option at $246.9 million after taxes withheld at payout, and about $190 million after full federal and New Jersey taxes.

Most big jackpot winners in recent years have chosen the lump sum, though financial advisers often stress that the annuity can provide protection against overspending and offers a guaranteed income stream for decades.

Officials celebrate another big win

The jackpot comes on the heels of another massive prize. Wednesday's win came less than three months after a ticket sold in Illinois won a $1.04 billion jackpot in August, the eighth-largest prize in Powerball history. The two prizes now rank as the eighth- and ninth-largest jackpots in Powerball history.

Stephen Durrell, chair of the Powerball Product Group and executive director of the Kansas Lottery, said the back-to-back runs show the excitement the game generates. "We're thrilled to celebrate another life-changing win and congratulate the lucky ticket holder," Durrell said.

A long road to the jackpot

The prize had been building for months. The winning ticket ended a streak of 35 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner. The jackpot was last won on Aug. 12, when a single ticket sold in Illinois captured the $1.04 billion grand prize.

It was one of the biggest prizes of the year. CBS New York reported it was the second-largest prize in 2026.

Other big winners

The New Jersey ticket was not the only one to pay off Wednesday. Powerball announced that four other tickets matched all five white balls to win secondary prizes.

Matching the five white balls without the Powerball pays $1 million, or $2 million with Power Play. Because Wednesday's Power Play multiplier was 2X, any of those secondary winners who added the option would collect the higher amount.

Many smaller prizes were also won. More than 1 million tickets won cash prizes in Wednesday's drawing, and players are urged to check their tickets carefully.

Long odds

The win highlights just how unlikely a jackpot is. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.

The biggest prizes remain well above Wednesday's total. The largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history was won on Nov. 7, 2022, when a ticket sold in California claimed a $2.04 billion Powerball prize. A $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot won on Christmas Eve in 2025 ranks as the second-largest prize in U.S. lottery history.

What winners should do

Financial experts typically advise big winners to take their time before claiming a prize. Common recommendations include signing the back of the ticket, storing it securely, and assembling a team of professionals, such as a lawyer, accountant and financial adviser, before coming forward.

New Jersey's anonymity law offers an extra layer of protection, helping winners avoid unwanted attention from the public, scammers and long-lost acquaintances.

The jackpot now starts over. It will reset to $20 million for the next drawing on Saturday.

Powerball drawings are held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:59 p.m. Eastern time.

A note on sourcing: one CBS New York report listed the second number as 25, but Powerball, Fox Business, ABC7 and other outlets all reported 34, so I used 34. I can also make this a doc you can edit here, share, or download as Word or PDF, if you'd like.