As the Powerball jackpot reaches $910 million, we take a look back at history’s 10 biggest lottery winners.
In November 2022, one lucky individual from Altadena, California won the world’s largest jackpot when they successfully matched all numbers and took the lump sum payout option – remaining anonymous throughout.
1. Powerball
Powerball lottery game in the United States provides players with a chance to win big prizes across 45 states, DC and Puerto Rico. Players use five numbers for white balls between 1 to 69 and one number between 1 to 26 to select their Powerball red balls – creating five possible winning combinations on any given night!
California resident won the biggest Powerball jackpot ever awarded in 2023 when they chose the cash option, worth more than $2 billion before federal taxes.
Powerball has seen hundreds of winners claim millions in prize money since its introduction. You can view how many jackpot winners there have been from each state by consulting the table below; it will be updated whenever a top prize has been won!
2. Mega Millions
Mega Millions has made history with its groundbreaking “Just the Jackpot” play option, offering some of the largest starting jackpots ever seen in lottery history. Starting jackpot amounts are determined based on ticket sales and are announced prior to each drawing.
Players choose five white balls and one Megaplier in addition to the Mega Ball for a chance at the jackpot, which may be distributed over 30 annual installments or in an up-front lump sum payment option – New Jersey and Texas require winners to indicate in advance whether their prize should take the form of an annuity or cash payment option.
Before Tuesday’s win from New Jersey, no one had successfully matched the winning numbers since Dec. 8, when two tickets in California split a $394 million jackpot using numbers 7, 11, 22, 29 38 plus gold Mega Ball 4 to match it. Unfortunately, neither has the New Jersey player been identified publicly yet.
3. Mega Bucks
Since Mega Bucks launched in 2021, it has quickly become a beloved lottery across the state of Nevada. Many noteworthy winners have testified to its life-altering effects; its proceeds also support education, public safety and other key initiatives that benefit residents statewide.
Each Megabucks draw features six winning numbers selected randomly from 1-50. Players may select their own numbers or use Quick Pick for random digits; one play (two panels) costs $1 and can also include EZ Match for instant prizes!
Drawings take place three times each week – Monday, Wednesday and Saturday – at participating retail locations or online through New Hampshire iLottery. The game provides some of the highest overall odds among all lottery games.
4. EuroMillions
In September 2014, one UK ticket holder claimed the largest EuroMillions jackpot ever. Following this huge success, their syndicate remained anonymous and only announced their plans of buying a car and taking multiple vacations before creating a foundation to give back to charity.
European lottery was introduced on 7 February 2004 by France’s Loteries et Des Jeux, Spain’s Loterias y Apuestas del Estado and UK Camelot. Winners must match five main numbers plus two Lucky Star numbers in order to claim their share of the massive jackpot prize; two couples from California and Tennessee each collected part of it by opting for lump-sum payments; the former purchased a mansion while the latter donated generously to charities they hold dear.
5. SuperEnalotto
SuperEnalotto lottery game in Italy is one of the world’s best known lotteries. It starts off with a minimum jackpot of EUR2 million and grows as more tickets are sold – eventually leading to either one individual winner or multiple syndicate winners. Furthermore, SuperEnalotto features a special number known as a Jolly which increases odds for those matching 5 numbers at once.
In February 2023, one ticket from Avellino won the largest ever SuperEnalotto prize of EUR371.1 million – this was both Europe’s biggest jackpot that year and single ticket win ever to date! Other notable winners are Montappone and Bagnone who both chose anonymity but it may have been difficult for one of them to hide an impressive EUR154.9 million haul among 1,600 residents!
