
Wed Dec 17 22:50:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a news article summarizing the provided text:
Powerball Soars to $1.25 Billion After No Grand Prize Winner
[City, State] – The Powerball jackpot has climbed to a staggering estimated $1.25 billion after Monday night’s drawing failed to produce a grand prize winner. The winning numbers were 23, 35, 59, 63, 68, and the Powerball was 2, with a Power Play multiplier of 4.
While no one hit the jackpot, two lucky tickets sold in Arizona and California matched all five white balls, netting their owners $1 million each. The drawing also produced 43 tickets worth $50,000 and 14 tickets worth $200,000.
This marks the second jackpot to reach at least $1 billion this year and the 12th time in the past five years the jackpot has crossed the billion-dollar mark. The largest jackpot this year, valued at $1.787 billion before taxes, was won in September and split between two tickets from Missouri and Texas.
“Powerball has only seen back-to-back billion-dollar jackpots twice, and this one has arrived just in time for the holidays,” said Matt Strawn, Iowa Lottery CEO and Powerball Product Group Chair. He urged players to “play responsibly,” reminding them that a single $2 ticket offers a chance to win while supporting community causes.
The advertised jackpot of $1.25 billion is for winners who choose to receive their prize in 30 escalating installments over 29 years (annuity). Winners can also opt for a lump-sum payment, estimated to be $572.1 million for Wednesday’s drawing.
The next Powerball drawing is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.