KY Lottery Alert: Record $300 Million Powerball Jackpot Draws Tonight—Check Your Tickets Now

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Kentucky’s lottery players are packing convenience stores and digital queues this holiday week, lured by a record-shattering $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot set for Monday, December 22. The historic purse has pushed Kentucky Lottery sales to $2.1 billion for the 2025 fiscal year, an all-time high that will transfer an estimated $384 million to state college scholarship and grant programs. CEO Mary Harville says the run has already created more than one million winning tickets statewide, but she is just as excited about the academic payoff. “Since 1999 the KY Lottery has provided more than $5.4 billion for KEES, Work Ready, National Guard and teacher scholarships, helping 1.1 million Kentuckians pay tuition,” Harville noted. Unclaimed prizes piling up While anticipation builds, officials are urging players to double-check their slips. Eight Powerball tickets worth $50,000 to $100,000 are still unclaimed, including a ticket sold at Kroger on Bypass Road in Brandenburg and another at Sudden Service in Franklin. Winners have 180 days from the drawing date to claim at KY Lottery headquarters in Louisville. Another $50,000 ticket purchased at Five Star on West John Rowan Boulevard in Bardstown remains outstanding from the December 13 draw. If you bought a ticket in Nelson County, officials recommend scanning the barcode in the official KY Lottery mobile app. Biggest Kentucky win of the month Not every prize is waiting. On December 3 a central Kentucky resident turned an online Quick Pick into a $2 million payday after matching five white balls and opting for Power Play. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, received the news by email and has already claimed through the iLottery platform. How to play — and protect your ticket • Tickets cost $2; add Power Play for $1 to multiply non-jackpot prizes. • Sales cut off at 10 p.m. ET on drawing nights. • Sign the back of your ticket immediately; only signed tickets are valid for payment. • For digital players, confirm your email filters allow messages from kylottery.com. Where the money goes Approximately 55 cents of every dollar spent on a KY Lottery game returns to players in prizes, 7 cents funds retailers, and 25 cents supports education. The remainder covers operating costs. That means Monday’s billion-dollar frenzy will translate into tens of millions more for the 2026-27 KEES awards. Next drawing dates Powerball drawings occur Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. If the December 22 jackpot rolls, the Christmas Eve drawing could eclipse the game’s $2.04 billion record from 2022. Players can watch live on the Kentucky Lottery’s website or on WHAS-11 in Louisville. Checking winning numbers The fastest way to confirm results is the KY Lottery mobile app or the official website’s “Winning Numbers” page. Numbers are posted within minutes of the draw, and prizes up to $600 can be cashed at any licensed retailer. Larger winnings must be claimed at headquarters, 1011 West Main Street, Louisville. Responsible play The Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling reminds players to set a budget and stick to it. Free help is available 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER. With the holidays in full swing and a life-changing jackpot on the line, Kentucky’s appetite for lottery tickets shows no sign of cooling. Whether Monday crowns a new billionaire or fuels the next record-breaking rollover, one certainty remains: the KY Lottery’s biggest winner is higher education.