Powerball lottery in US to pay out top prize of almost $2 billion

A ticket holder to the Powerball lottery in the US state of Arkansas has won $1.817 billion in the second-largest prize in the history of the United States, according to the operators on Thursday.

The winning ticket for Wednesday night's draw carried the numbers 4, 25, 31, 52, 59 with a Powerball of 19.

"Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize," Powerball head Matt Strawn said.

Strawn thanked all the other players and noted that every ticket purchased helped support public programmes and services.

The largest lottery payout in US history was in California in November 2022, when the prize was $2.4 billion.

Powerball winners can choose to take the full amount paid out in instalments over 30 years or a one-off payment in this case of $834.9 million.

Powerball tickets cost $2 and can be purchased in 45 states, in Washington, on the US Virgin Islands and in Puerto Rico. Draws take place on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The probability of winning the top prize is put at 1 to 292.2 million, according to Powerball.