In Arkansas, there is a lot of gossip about who will win the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot on Christmas Eve.

Nearly a month has passed since a ticket that matched the Dec. 24 Powerball numbers of 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, and the red Powerball 19 was sold at the Murphy USA gas station in Cabot near the Walmart Supercenter. The life-altering windfall winner can choose to get $834.9 million in cash all at once or the entire amount spread over 29 years. Both are before to state and federal taxes.

Before coming forward, major lottery winners usually speak with a lawyer or financial advisor. However, speculations about what's happening get louder as time passes.

"If I go into a local grocery store, if I go anywhere in town, someone asks me about it,” Arkansas House Speaker Brian Evans (R-Cabot) told the Arkansas Advocate. “Typically, it’s, ‘Hey Brian, were you the winner?'”

He claims that Evans is not the victor. Evans would not be eligible for the state's three-year anonymity privilege because he is an elected official.

Lottery rumors

A Powerball ticket may be redeemed in Arkansas within 180 days following the draw. This implies that the Powerball ticket for Christmas Eve must be used by June 22, 2026.

The winner could actually be anyone because Cabot is conveniently located and the ticket was bought at a gas station near Interstate 57, which almost entirely spans the state from Missouri to Texas. It can be a citizen of Arkansas or a visitor who chose to take advantage of a Powerball opportunity.

Looking across the street, neighbors worry if they have the potential to become extremely wealthy. At the water cooler, coworkers are asking if their colleague is prepared to resign and cash in the Powerball ticket.

However, there is growing conjecture that the winning paper ticket may be misplaced or inadvertently thrown away. Because the Arkansas Lottery's Claim Centers are closed on weekends and on Monday, January 20 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the ticket cannot be redeemed until at least Tuesday, January 20.

The winner must chose whether to remain anonymous for three years in addition to selecting between the annuity and lump payment. Arkansas mandates that lottery winners be included in the public record after three years.

After the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won in November 2022, the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot is the second-largest lottery payout in US history.

Is It Your Turn Tonight?

If someone's life was truly altered by the Christmas Eve Powerball lottery, only time will tell. There's another chance tonight, but the payoff is much smaller.

Powerball's jackpot for tonight's draw is expected to be $179 million, an increase from the Christmas Eve hit. The option for a lump sum payment is $81.5 million.

At $250 million ($113.5 million in cash), Mega Millions presently offers a bigger jackpot. The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20.