Huge powerball win for upper marlboro player nets $500,000 prize — money big ID 111553616 © Oleg Dudko | Dreamstime.com

Upper Marlboro, MD – A Powerball ticket sold in Prince George’s County has delivered a $500,000 win just as the record-breaking jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.7 billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing. The lucky ticket, purchased at the Wawa located at 163 SE Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro, matched the first five numbers in Monday night’s Double Play drawing to secure the game’s second-tier prize.

According to Maryland Lottery officials, the winning ticket was part of the Dec. 22 drawing, which saw more than 95,000 winning tickets statewide. Prizes ranged from $4 to the $500,000 Double Play payout, underscoring a strong night for Maryland players amid the ongoing Powerball frenzy. The winner has 182 days from the drawing date to claim the prize.

The Powerball jackpot, now estimated at $1.7 billion with a $781.3 million cash option, remains unclaimed after no one matched all six numbers Monday night. If won, it would become the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.

Double Play, available as a $1 add-on to a standard Powerball ticket, gives players a second chance to win with its own drawing held 30 minutes after each Powerball drawing. The feature includes a separate prize structure with a top award of $10 million.

This marks the 47th consecutive drawing since the last jackpot was hit on Sept. 6, when tickets in Missouri and Texas split a $1.787 billion prize — the largest in the game’s history. Since then, Maryland players have claimed $10.3 million in Powerball winnings, while retailers have earned $3.1 million in commissions and the Lottery has contributed an estimated $13.7 million to the state budget.

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