Arkansas $1.817 Billion Powerball Winner Identified After Privacy Period
The winner of the $1.817 billion Powerball jackpot from the December 24, 2025 drawing was initially announced as an anonymous Arkansas claimant.
By July 2026, that description was no longer current.
Records released by the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and reported by Arkansas news organizations identified Tracy L. Hartwick of Cabot as the purchaser and principal claimant.
The released records also showed that the prize interest was divided, with Tracy Hartwick holding 94 percent, Timothy A. Hartwick holding 3 percent and a third claimant holding 3 percent.
The third claimant had not been identified publicly at the research cutoff.
The ticket cost $30 and contained ten combinations
The winning ticket was purchased at Murphy USA 7879 at 208 S. Rockwood in Cabot.
The winning numbers were 4, 25, 31, 52 and 59, with Powerball 19.
Power Play was 2X.
Later released records showed that the purchaser spent $30 for ten Quick Play number combinations with Power Play.
The first line on the ticket matched all six numbers.
That corrects early assumptions that the jackpot might have come from a single $2 line.
The winner chose the cash option
The advertised jackpot was $1.817 billion as an annuity.
The winner chose the one time cash option.
Arkansas records later placed the gross cash value at $834,942,287.04 before withholding.
That figure is far below the advertised jackpot because the headline amount represents the value of the annuity, not an immediate cash payment.
The claim happened before the public announcement
The jackpot was publicly announced as claimed on January 22, 2026.
Later records indicated that the ticket had been validated on January 5.
That means January 22 should be described as the public announcement date, not the exact claim date.
Lottery officials said the winner took time to seek legal counsel and financial advice before moving forward.
Why the winner's identity later became public
Arkansas generally allows qualifying large prize winners to keep claim records confidential for a period of time.
A shorter six month confidentiality period applies in certain cases involving elected officials and specified close relatives.
Tracy Hartwick is the brother of North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick.
Because of that relationship, the shorter disclosure rule applied, and records identifying the principal claimant became public in July 2026.
The disclosure does not by itself imply misconduct. It reflects the operation of Arkansas public records law.
Withholding was not the same as final tax liability
The initial Arkansas release said 3.9 percent would be withheld for state taxes, and public claim reporting also described 24 percent federal withholding.
Later released records showed the amount paid on Tracy Hartwick's 94 percent share after withholding.
Those figures describe withholding at the time of payment.
They should not be presented as proof of the claimant's final tax liability, which can depend on the complete tax situation.
One of the largest lottery jackpots ever
The $1.817 billion jackpot was the second largest Powerball jackpot and the second largest United States lottery jackpot at the time.
It was also the largest lottery prize ever won in Arkansas.
The jackpot run covered 47 drawings.
A clearer way to describe it is that there were 46 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner, followed by the winning 47th drawing on December 24.
During the run, Arkansas players bought more than $15 million in Powerball tickets.
The selling retailer received a $50,000 commission.
A major story changed by later public records
This winner story is a good example of why lottery news sometimes needs to be updated after the first claim announcement.
In January, the accurate description was an anonymous Arkansas winner.
By July, public records had changed what was known about the claimant, the ownership split and the ticket purchase.
A current article should reflect the latest verified record rather than repeating the initial anonymity headline months later.