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Lottery officials said the Powerball winner elected for the one-time cash option instead of the annuity paid out over 29 years. The $450.5 million lump sum payout was reduced to about $261.5 million after federal and state taxes.
The $1.04 billion jackpot ranked eighth all-time in Powerball history and marked the 15th billion-dollar lottery prize won in the United States. It stands as the second-largest lottery prize ever claimed in Illinois, trailing only the $1.33 billion Mega Millions jackpot won in July 2022.
“A jackpot of this magnitude is an extraordinary event, and we’re excited to see the second-largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois officially claimed,” said Illinois Lottery Director Harold Mays. “It’s exciting to see such a significant Powerball win come to an Illinois player, and we’re pleased to celebrate this milestone with them.”
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The Queens-born mogul (real name: Curtis Jackson) has partnered with U.K.-based gaming manufacturer TCSJOHNHUXLEY to develop 50 Cent Headcrack, a licensed casino table game built on the mechanics of Cee-lo.
50 Cent previewed the project on Instagram on Sept. 17, 2026, framing the venture as the long-overdue legitimization of a game that always played by its own rules.
“For a hundred years this game lived on the corner,” he said in TCS/JOHNHUXLEY’s press release. “Now it’s got a dealer, a pay table and a seat at the table in a real casino. Same dice, new floor.”
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During a previous Sphere earnings call, Sphere chair Jim Dolan teased a “broomstick ride with a witch.”
That line got repeated as part of “Wizard 2.0,” with most media outlets assuming it was to be among the production’s new effects.
Our suspicion is that Dolan was referring to an immersive video simulator—likely intended for the lobby before the movie begins.