Lightning struck twice on Saturday, September 6, 2025. Honestly, the atmosphere leading up to that Saturday night was electric. People were lining up at gas stations from Maine to California, clutching their slips like golden tickets. When the dust finally settled and the balls stopped rolling, two incredibly lucky ticket holders realized their lives had changed forever. They weren't just winners; they were billionaire-level winners.
The jackpot had climbed to a staggering $1.787 billion. That is not a typo. It was one of those rare moments in lottery history where the prize pool feels more like a national GDP than a game of chance. For weeks, nobody had hit the big one. The tension was thick. Then, the numbers dropped: 11, 23, 44, 61, 62, and the Powerball 17.
Who Won Powerball September 6 2025?
So, who actually walked away with the bag? We know the "where" even if the "who" remains a bit of a mystery due to privacy laws. The jackpot was split between two winning tickets. One was sold in Missouri and the other in Texas.
Sharing a $1.787 billion prize sounds like a bummer until you realize each ticket is worth roughly **$893.7 million** before Uncle Sam takes his cut. If these winners chose the cash option—which most people do—they were looking at a combined lump sum of about $820.6 million. Split that in two, and you're still looking at over $410 million per ticket. That’s "buy a fleet of yachts and a private island" money.
The Winning Breakdown
It wasn't just the two jackpot winners who got lucky that night. The September 6 drawing was a massive windfall for players across the country.
- Two Match 5 + Power Play winners: These folks in Kansas and Texas took home $2 million each because they spent the extra buck on the multiplier.
- 18 Match 5 winners: A total of 18 tickets matched all five white balls but missed the Powerball. They each won $1 million. These tickets were scattered everywhere—California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Ohio, among others.
- The "Smaller" Wins: Over 7.3 million tickets won some kind of prize that night, ranging from the $4 bottom tier up to the $100,000 prizes for those who matched four white balls and the Powerball with a 2x multiplier.
Why This Drawing Was Special
This specific drawing was part of a historic run. At the time, it was the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history, only surpassed by the $2.04 billion win in California back in 2022. It actually held that silver medal spot until late December 2025, when a single ticket in Arkansas matched a $1.817 billion prize.
But for a few months there, the September 6 winners were the talk of the financial world. Missouri and Texas aren't strangers to big wins, but a split jackpot of this magnitude is a rare bird. Texas, in particular, has seen a surge in high-tier winners lately, making it a "hot" state for lottery hopefuls.
✨ Don't miss: Who is Rudi Daniel Davis? The Truth Behind the Name
Tax Man Cometh
Let's talk reality for a second. Winning $410 million sounds great, but you don't actually keep $410 million.
The federal government immediately takes a 24% withholding tax. But wait, there's more. Since the top federal tax bracket is 37%, the winners likely owed another 13% when they filed their 2025 returns. Then you've got state taxes. Missouri has a state income tax of about 4.8%. Texas? They're one of the lucky states with no state income tax on lottery winnings. That means the Texas winner likely walked away with significantly more net cash than their counterpart in Missouri.
What Happens to the Winners Now?
In Missouri, lottery winners' names are generally public record unless they can prove a specific risk to their safety, though some use trusts to keep things quiet. Texas is a bit more winner-friendly; if you win more than $1 million, you can choose to remain anonymous.
🔗 Read more: How Long Did Today's Earthquake Last? What the Sensors (and Your Brain) Actually Recorded
Most winners at this level spend the first few months in a "quiet period." You hire a lawyer. You hire a tax pro. You definitely don't answer your phone if it's an unknown number. The "lottery curse" is a real thing people talk about, where winners lose it all or end up miserable. But with nearly half a billion dollars, you'd have to try pretty hard to go broke.
The Odds and the Reality
We all know the odds are 1 in 292.2 million. You're more likely to be struck by lightning while being bitten by a shark. Yet, the September 6 draw proved that someone eventually has to win.
If you're still holding onto old tickets or thinking about the next big draw, remember that the "Power Play" multiplier—which was 2x on September 6—doesn't apply to the jackpot. It only boosts the non-jackpot prizes. However, it's the reason why those two people in Kansas and Texas turned a $1 million win into $2 million.
Check Your Tickets
If you’re reading this because you found an old ticket in your glove box from September 2025, move fast. Most states give you 180 days to 1 year to claim your prize. For the September 6, 2025 drawing, the clock is ticking. In Texas and Missouri, you typically have 180 days from the draw date to claim. If you don't show up, that money usually goes back into the prize pool or supports state programs like education.
If you have a winning ticket from that date, sign the back immediately. Put it in a safe or a bank lockbox. Don't tell your neighbor. Contact a reputable financial advisor who handles high-net-worth individuals before you even think about driving to the lottery headquarters.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Check your local state lottery app or website for the official "unclaimed prizes" list to see if any of those $1 million Match 5 prizes from September 6 are still out there.
- If you play regularly, consider setting up a "Lottery Trust" now with a lawyer so you're prepared for anonymity if your state allows it.
- Verify the drawing date on any physical tickets you find; the winning numbers for September 6, 2025, were 11-23-44-61-62 and Powerball 17.