The Biggest Jackpots in the World

Have you ever dreamed of winning a life-changing amount of money? If so, you might be interested in learning about the biggest jackpots in the world that have been awarded by various lotteries. Join us as we explore the most amazing prizes that have been won by lucky players across the globe!

What Is the World's Biggest Jackpot?

A US$2.04 billion US Powerball prize won in November 2022 holds the record for the world’s all-time biggest jackpot and the single largest lottery prize to be awarded to a single winner. Prior to this, a US$1.586 billion US Powerball prize won in January 2016 was the largest lottery jackpot ever won. This was split among three winners from California, Florida, and Tennessee, who were each eligible to take home a US$533 million slice of the prize.

How High Can Jackpots Go?

There is no limit to how high jackpots can go, as long as they keep rolling over without a winner. However, some lotteries have a jackpot cap or limit that prevents the top prize from growing beyond a certain amount. For example, EuroMillions has a jackpot cap of €250 million, while EuroJackpot has a jackpot limit of €120 million. If the jackpot reaches the cap or limit and is not won, it will stay at that amount for a maximum number of draws before it must be won or shared with lower-tier winners.

What Are the Largest Starting Jackpots?

When it comes to the biggest starting jackpots, US Powerball and Mega Millions are in a league of their own. Both lotteries' jackpot prizes reset to an estimated US$20 million* each time they're won, which is more than what many lotteries pay out as their top prize.

Among the European lotteries, the one with the highest starting jackpot is EuroMillions, which begins at €17 million and can grow until it reaches the prize cap of €250 million.

The next largest is EuroJackpot, which has a starting jackpot of €10 million and a jackpot limit of €120 million. This lottery has relatively good odds and a large fanbase, so its top prize is often won before it gets too high.

The Biggest Lottery Jackpot Winners in the World

A US$2.04 billion US Powerball jackpot was won on November 7, 2022, by a single ticket sold in the state of California. This extraordinary win is also the only jackpot to surpass US$2 billion making Edwin Castro the biggest lottery winner in history. The second largest prize won by a single ticket was awarded by US Powerball in October 2023 when a player from California matched the lottery's US$1.765 billion jackpot. Today, this is the second-biggest jackpot in the world!

Top 10 US Jackpots

The United States is famous across the globe for consistently paying out unimaginable top prizes and breaking jackpot records time and time again! Unsurprisingly, the US comes in first place when it comes to the biggest jackpots, with US Powerball and Mega Millions paying out all top ten of the world's biggest lottery prizes.

Check out the top 10 biggest US jackpots ever won, which also happen to be the biggest jackpots in the entire world!

Read more information about the biggest Mega Millions jackpots and the largest Powerball jackpot prizes.

Which Lotteries Have the Highest Jackpots?

Apart from US Powerball and Mega Millions, which are the undisputed leaders in jackpot size, there are other lotteries that offer impressive top prizes as well. Here are some of them:

• SuperEnalotto: This Italian lottery has no jackpot cap and has reached as high as €209 million in August 2019, which is the second-highest jackpot in Europe.

• EuroMillions: This transnational lottery has a jackpot cap of €250 million. To date, the largest jackpot claimed is €240 Million won by an Austrian player in December 2023. The jackpot starts at €17 million and can grow rapidly with rollovers.

• EuroJackpot: This pan-European lottery has a jackpot limit of €120 million and has reached it seven times, most recently in December 2024. The jackpot starts at €10 million and offers relatively good odds of winning.

• Powerball Australia: In recent years, Powerball has offered the largest jackpots in Australian lottery history, most recently in February 2024 when a record-breaking AU$200 million jackpot was won by two winners. The Australia Powerball jackpot prize starts at AU$3 million and will grow with each rollover until its won!

Will the Jackpot Record Be Broken?

The jackpots we mentioned are the largest in the world right now, but they could be usurped at any time! If you want to take a shot at winning a mind-blowing prize, play online lotteries at LottoSmile.