A ticket hits $1.040 billion Powerball jackpot. Plus $1 million NC win

And we have a winner! After about three months of drawings, Powerball finally has a jackpot winner who has claimed the $1.040 billion jackpot. The winning drawing was the 44th consecutive drawing in this run. The last jackpot win in 2026 happened on May 2, when a ticket in Texas and Florida hit for

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And we have a winner!

After about three months of drawings, Powerball finally has a jackpot winner who has claimed the $1.040 billion jackpot. The winning drawing was the 44th consecutive drawing in this run. The last jackpot win in 2026 happened on May 2, when a ticket in Texas and Florida hit for the $20 million jackpot.

This jackpot goes into the history books for Powerball as the eighth-highest jackpot in the game's history. It is also the highest jackpot of 2026, as of now.

The winner will have the option to take their winnings as either an annuitized prize of $1.040 billion or a lump-sum payment of $450.5 million, according to Powerball. There were also a number of smaller winners, including a $1 million ticket winner sold in North Carolina.

Here's where the winning ticket was sold, other winners and when North Carolina players can try their luck again.

Powerball winning numbers last night, 8/12/2026

Powerball winning numbers for Wednesday, Aug. 12: 4-26-66-67-69 and the Powerball is 9. The Power Play is 2x.

Where was the winning Powerball ticket sold? Who won Powerball last night, Wednesday, Aug. 12?

The Aug. 12 drawing came with a big winner out of Illinois. The name of the winner or winners have not been announced.

Along with the big win, a ticket out of Massachusetts won a $2 million prize, and tickets bought in Arizona, California, Florida and North Carolina hit for $1 million, according to Powerball's website.

How much is the Powerball jackpot now?

The Powerball jackpot has reset to $20 million.

When is the next Powerball drawing?

The next Powerball drawing is on Saturday, Aug. 15, at approximately 10:59 p.m. ET/9:59 p.m. CT. Powerball has three drawings each week on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.

When was the last Powerball jackpot won?

The Powerball jackpot was last won on May 2 by two tickets, one in Florida and the other in Texas, that split a $20 million prize, according to powerball.com. Here are all the big winners from 2026, including a lucky ticket in North Carolina.

Jan. 21 - $209.3 million – North Carolina
March 2 - $250.8 million – Arkansas
April 6 - $230.8 million – Delaware
April 29 - $143 million – Indiana, Kansas
May 2 - $20 million – Florida, Texas
Aug. 12- $1.040 billion - Illinois

How to play Powerball

Want to play Powerball but not quite sure how it works? Here are some things to know.

To play Powerball, you first select five white ball numbers. These five numbers will be between one and 69. Then, pick one "Powerball" or red ball number. This number will be between one and 26.
For an extra dollar, you may choose to "power play," which multiplies all non-grand prize winnings by a factor of 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10.
If you match at least one number in the Powerball drawing, you win a prize.