A LUCKY Powerball player has scooped up a whopping $478 million jackpot - but risks losing more than half the cash.
The player from Georgia won the mega prize on Wednesday night, breaking the state's 10-year dry spell of no jackpots at all.
They now have the option to take home the $478 million over the course of 29 years or the one-time lump sum estimated to be $230.6 million.
It means they could lose more than half the prize if they take the latter option.
The winning numbers on Wednesday were 2, 15, 27, 29, 39 and red Powerball 20.
The winner, who has not been named, matched all six.
Meanwhile, two ticketholders in Pennsylvania and Texas matched all five white balls to win $1 million.
Wednesday night's win broke a two-month period of no Powerball winners at all.
It was also a huge win for Georgia, which hadn't scooped a Powerball jackpot in a decade.
The latest jackpot winner was a California lottery player, who won a $44.3 million on August 19, 2024.