American jackpots are famous around the world, and it’s no wonder. In the U.S, lottery jackpots regularly reach into the hundreds of millions, and some even go over a billion. And although the odds of winning are slim, there are people who have managed to win one of these incredible jackpots.
So if you were wondering what the biggest lottery jackpots ever won are, you are in luck. Here is a list of the 10 largest jackpots ever won in US history.
So, check it out…
Odds of winning a lottery jackpot
As you know, the odds of winning a lottery jackpot are pretty slim. Even more so when it comes to exorbitant amounts like those offered by Powerball and Mega Millions.
Powerball is a multi-state lottery game. It is available in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its jackpot starts at 20 million and increases with each drawing. Powerball drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.
Mega Millions is another multi-state game. It shares the title with Powerball as the most popular lottery game in the US. It is available in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Its jackpot starts at 20 million and increases with each non-winning drawing. Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 23:00 ET. The odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 302.6 million.
With these odds, you might think it is impossible to win the lottery. But no, there is always someone lucky enough to match all 6 numbers and win the big jackpot. And here we are going to tell you about the 10 biggest lottery jackpots in the United States.
Biggest US Lottery Jackpots
Meet the lucky winners of the major U.S. lotteries: Powerball and Mega Millions
2.04 Billion, Powerball, 2022
This is not only the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, it’s the largest in the world. A single ticket in California won it on November 2, 2022. The winner of this incredible prize is Edwin Castro. After several draws and with the odds stacked against him, Castro did the unthinkable. He walked away with a world record $2.04 billion jackpot. He opted for a single payment with a cash value of $997.6 million.
1.735 Billion, Powerball, 2023
Without a doubt, 2023 is a lucky year for Powerball fans. After the incredible $1.08 billion jackpot in July, someone managed to snag $1.735 billion. This is the second largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history. And guess what? California won it again. According to Powerball, this is the first time in the game’s history that two consecutive cycles have produced billion-dollar prizes. The jackpot was won in the October 11 drawing and is worth $774.1 million.
1.602 billion. Mega Millions, 2023
But if you thought this year’s luck was just for Powerball players, think again. Mega Millions is not far behind. In fact, it has rewarded three fans with massive jackpots this year. First on our list is the $1.602 billion jackpot won by a single ticket in Florida in August.
1.586 Billion, Powerball, 2016
On January 13, 2016, three people from Tennessee, California and Florida won the $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot. With this jackpot, Powerball made history in the United States. It was the first time a lottery jackpot reached $1 billion. The winners split the prize and each took home more than $520 million. Not bad, right?
1.537 Billion, Mega Millions, 2018
After more than three months of drawings without a winner, a single ticket sold in South Carolina matched all six numbers for the October 28, 2018 drawing. The winner opted for a cash payment of $877,784,124 and chose to remain anonymous.
1.348 billion, Mega Million, 2023
On February 13th, a player from Maine won the fourth largest Mega Millions lottery jackpot in history. This was the first Mega Millions jackpot ever won in the state of Maine. The winning ticket was sold at the Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine. The winner chose a lump sum payment of $723.5 million in cash, more than $498 million after taxes.
1.337 Billion, Mega Millions, 2023
Two people from Illinois won the Mega Millions jackpot of $1.337 billion. This lottery jackpot was won in the July 29th drawing and claimed almost 8 weeks later. The winners chose a lump sum payment of $780.5 million and decided to claim the prize anonymously.
1.08 Billion, Powerball, 2023
On July 19, 2023, a mystery player in California won a Powerball jackpot of $1.08 billion. A small convenience store in the Fashion District of downtown Los Angeles, called the Las Palmitas Mini Market, sold the ticket. Unfortunately, no one has yet claimed the prize. The winner can choose between a lifetime annuity or a one-time lump sum payment of $558.1 million. The mystery winner has one year to claim the prize. So we hope they’re reading this and rushing to claim their winnings before the deadline.
1.056 Billion, Mega Millions, 2022
On January 22, an Oakland County lottery club won the largest prize in Michigan Lottery history. The Wolverine FLL Club’s winning ticket matched all the numbers and won the $1.05 billion lottery jackpot. The winners chose to take their prize as a one-time lump sum payment of approximately $776 million. After taxes, the Wolverine FLL Club received about $557 million.
768.4 Million, Powerball, 2019
This time luck smiled on the state of Wisconsin. In October 2019, 24-year-old Manuel Franco managed to win the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot. Manuel said he had been playing the lottery since he was 18 years old. But he never thought he would be lucky enough to win such a huge lottery jackpot. He chose to take a one-time lump sum payment of $477 million, or $326 million after taxes.
Well, folks, despite the slim odds, some people managed to hit the jackpot. And they did it big.
But these are just a few stories. There are many more out there about people winning lottery prizes. Maybe not as huge as these, but no doubt these winnings have made a difference. So keep trying, you never know. Your story may be the next one we share on this blog.
Oh, and we can’t leave without wishing you all a Happy New Year!