Politician's brother revealed as $1.8B Powerball jackpot winner

The identity of the anonymous winner of the second-largest Powerball jackpot has been released – and it's a bit surprising.

Tracy Hartwick, the younger brother of North Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor Terry Hartwick, won the $1.8 billion jackpot with numbers drawn on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 2025, reported local news outlets KARK and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Tracy Hartwick claimed 94% of the jackpot prize. Another brother, Timothy A. Hartwick, claimed 3% of the prize, and a third unnamed person took the remaining 3%, reported local news outlet THV11.

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The jackpot was claimed almost a month after it was won, according to a Powerball news release. Hartwick had elected to remain anonymous when he claimed his prize and chose to receive a one-time cash payment of $834.9 million before taxes.

While winners can choose to remain anonymous for as long as three years, Hartwick was informed that his win could only remain confidential for six months because his brother is an elected official, THV11 said.

USA TODAY has contacted the Arkansas Scholarship Lottery and the office of Mayor Hartwick for comment.

Why couldn't Hartwick remain anonymous?

Because the winner's brother is an elected official, he could not remain anonymous for longer than six months, according to Arkansas law.

The law, Act 889 of 2021, states that elected officials and their family members can only remain anonymous for six months after claiming a lottery prize. However, members of the general public may remain anonymous for three years after a lottery win.

According to the law, the identities of the politicians and their family members who are "related in the second degree of consanguinity" who win the lottery will be revealed after six months. Family members include parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren.

Christmas Eve Powerball jackpot the second-largest

After 47 consecutive drawings, the Powerball jackpot grew to a whopping $1.817 billion ahead of the Christmas Eve drawing in 2025. The huge jackpot sent hopeful lottery players in droves to buy tickets.

The winning ticket was sold at Murphy USA, a gas station in Cabot, Arkansas, about 25 miles northeast of Little Rock, according to Powerball. The store received a $50,000 commission for selling the winning ticket.

In Arkansas, where the ticket was sold, people spent more than $15 million on Powerball tickets throughout the jackpot cycle.

Not only was the jackpot the second-largest in Powerball's history, but also the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history, according to Powerball. The ticket that won the largest Powerball jackpot, $2 billion, was sold to Edwin Castro of Altadena in California on Nov. 7, 2022.

Julia Gomez is a Trending reporter for USA TODAY and covers space phenomena, scientific studies and natural disasters. Connect with her on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Politician's brother revealed as $1.8B Powerball jackpot winner