Half of $1.78B Powerball Claimed; $1M, $2M Winners

An Illinois player known as “Rex” claimed a $1 million prize after an old Powerball ticket sold at Joe’s Tobacco and Vape & Phone Repair Shop in Aurora matched all five white balls in the Sept. 3 drawing; the retailer will receive a $10,000 bonus and the winner said he plans to buy a car and share gifts with loved ones. Separately, a Pennsylvania online ticket matched the five white balls (3-29-42-46-59) and, with the $1 Power Play 3x multiplier, is a $2 million pre-tax prize; Pennsylvania winners must validate and claim prizes within one year and online $2 million prizes must be claimed in person at Lottery Headquarters. A Missouri man has come forward to claim one of the two tickets that split the Sept. 6 record $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot; reports say his half-share equals about $893.5 million as an annuity or roughly $410.3 million as a one-time cash option, and he has sought to remain anonymous. The Powerball jackpot has recently swelled to roughly $1.8 billion, underscoring continued large prizes across multiple states.