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U.S.|As Powerball Nears Record, Ticket Buyers Dream of New Houses and Winning in Secret
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/us/powerball-lottery-winners.html
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The Powerball jackpot hit $1.8 billion ahead of Saturday’s drawing, making it the second-largest and inspiring many to play.
By Hannah ZieglerDavaughnia Wilson and Sopan Deb
Hannah Ziegler reported from New York; Davaughnia Wilson from Vauxhall, N.J.; Sopan Deb from Washington.
Sept. 5, 2025Updated 6:58 p.m. ET
Some would buy a new house with a large backyard and driveway. Others would pay off their debt. A few would get a new car. The vast majority would try to keep their winnings a secret.
This week, the Powerball jackpot rose to $1.8 billion, or an estimated $826.4 million in cash, ahead of Saturday’s drawing, making it the second-largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, according to Powerball.
If no one matches all six numbers on Saturday, the jackpot could become the largest in history. The drawing will be the 42nd since the last Powerball win in May, the longest streak without a top jackpot winner.
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Joel Sanchez, 43, buys two lottery tickets a week and has watched the Powerball jackpot balloon through the summer. As he sat in his delivery truck outside George’s Deli in Astoria in Queens on Friday, he imagined how he might wipe away his family’s debt with $1.8 billion.
“I’m talking about mother, brothers, sisters, my kids, my grandkids, my wife,” said Mr. Sanchez. “Everybody gets taken care of.”
