Powerball player just misses $1.2 billion jackpot, but still wins big in Florida
A Powerball player just missed a $1.2 billion jackpot — but still won a prize worth celebrating in Florida.
The player bought a ticket that matched all but one number picked in the Sept. 1 drawing, making it worth $1 million, results show.
The winning numbers: white balls 8-23-25-40-53, with red Powerball 5.
The player is set to get richer after stopping at a Greer’s grocery store in Pensacola, in the Florida Panhandle. While there, they spent $2 on a ticket that matched all five white balls, the Florida Lottery wrote on its website and in a news release.
Though the person beat 1-in-11.6 million odds to win big, their ticket was one number from hitting the jackpot. That prize stood at an estimated $1.2 billion and is expected to rise to $1.3 billion for the next drawing on Sept. 3, according to the Powerball website.
As of early Sept. 2, lottery officials didn’t say whether the $1 million prize had been claimed. In Florida, Powerball winners have about six months to cash in, rules show.
What to know about Powerball
To score the jackpot in the Powerball, a player must match all five white balls and the red Powerball.
The odds of scoring the jackpot prize are 1 in 292,201,338.
Tickets can be bought on the day of the drawing, but sales times and price vary by state.
Drawings are broadcast Saturdays, Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:59 p.m. ET and can be streamed online.
Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Powerball player just misses $1.2 billion jackpot, but still wins big in Florida."
