Biggest Powerball Jackpots
There is no lottery like the US Powerball because no other game has jackpots like Powerball. Its prizes have made international headlines and they have raised the bar for lotteries all around the World!
To visualize the sheer size of these prizes, we have made a list of the biggest Powerball jackpots that is bound to make quite the impression. Read on to find out the stories behind the luckiest Powerball winners the world has ever seen!
1. US$204 CRORE - 2022
November 2022 has brought a new lottery jackpot world record when the US Powerball pushed back boundaries once more and brought a US$204 Crore jackpot! Can you believe that a single winning ticket scooped it all?!
The winning ticket, owned by a man named Edwin Castro, was purchased at Lichine’s Liquor & Deli in Sacramento (California) and featured the winning numbers: 10-33-41-47-56/10. Mr Castro came forward to claim this historical jackpot on February 14, 2023. Eventhough he chose not to participate to the press conference during which his identity was revealed, he shared a statement. The California Lottery spokeswoman which read it shared with us that Mr Castro is shocked but ecstatic abpout his win and that he is proud that his win also helps California Education.
This fantastic historical draw also brought US$2 Crore to a ticket in Florida and US$1 Crore to 22 tickets!!!
The draw was delayed a few hours due to one of the participating lotteries needing extra time to complete security protocols. During this time, players were waiting impatiently for the results! This was the 40th draw as the Powerball jackpot was rolling over since August 6 and wasn't won until November 7, 2022.
2. US$177 Crore - 2023
The US Powerball has had a fantastic year in 2023, with several jackpots making it to our Hall of Fame. A single ticket from California claimed a whopping US$1.765 Billion on October 11, 2023! The winning ticket was owned by a group of players, including Theodorus Struyck, 65. The man, who goes by Theo, came forward almost 6 months after the win. One of Theo's neighbors declared that "When I hear Theo won, I thought, 'Couldn't have happened to a better guy,’" while Mary Dreier, an other neighbor said that he is "just really pleasant to have around."
The jackpot rose from its initial US$173 Crore to US$177 Crore after the draw, thanks to the huge demand for tickets. It was won on the 36th draw of the jackpot cycle, marking the second consecutive time that Powerball has given away more than a US$100 Crore. The numbers that won this draw were: 22-24-40-52-64 and the Powerball 10, with a Power Play of 2X.
3. US$158 Crore - 2016
On January 13, 2016, the US Powerball was on everybody’s mind. It then offered the biggest jackpot in the world to ever be awarded by a lottery. To this day, it is one of the very few times when a lotto prize has ever passed the US$100 Crore milestone. The next life-changing lottery win is the US$153 Crore Mega Millions jackpot. These two giants of the lottery aren't done with the ultimate Powerball vs Mega Millions battle. Standing at US$158 Crore, this was a prize that drew players, not only from the US, but also from all over the world! Everyone put in their tickets hoping to become extremely rich overnight. All the players understood that the cost of a Powerball ticket is a small investment compared to the huge prizes it could bring!
After the highly anticipated draw, there were three winning tickets for the US$158 Crore prize from Florida, California, and Tennessee. Everybody wanted to know who would be living the dream; who actually got the legendary pot. The first claimants to come forward were Tennessee’s Lisa and John Robinson and they made a media event out of it.
They went live on Today's show to tell their amazing story right before meeting the US Powerball officials to start the prize collection process. As it turns out, their ticket worth US$52.8 Crore was a Quick Pick entry that John bought from the store on his way home. That’s all it took to win a Powerball fortune.
In spite of their media-centered debut, the Robinsons decided to stay private after that. They opted for the lump cash payment, which brought them over US$30 Crore. At first, they said that they would continue working and that they would keep living in their 3-bedroom house in Munford. It took them about six months to reconsider and move into a US$62,00,000 - 10-bedroom mansion with a private lake.
The next winners to come forward were David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith, a couple from Melbourne Beach, Florida. They collected their prize as the Nickel 95 Trust and opted for the US$32.78 Crore lump cash payment. Just like the Robinsons, they bought the winning ticket from their local supermarket.
Their Powerball windfall came as a huge surprise and they didn’t even tell their family about it until they got in touch with an attorney for the prize collection process. Stunned by the opportunities this would open them to, David and Maureen decided to take their time and set up a plan for how they would spend their money.
It’s going to change my day-to-day life. Instead of designing airplanes, I’m going to be doing, you know, charity work, tax strategies and investments,” said David Kaltschmidt.
The holders of the third winning ticket from January 2016 took their time with collecting their prize. It wasn’t until late July that Marvin and Mae Acosta came forward because they wanted to set up a solid legal and financial frame for their Powerball prize. Still within the allotted time for collecting their lottery prize, the Acostas went for the cash payout on their sizable win.
While their names were made public as per the lottery’s anonymity rules for winners, Marvin and Mae Acosta wanted other personal information about them to remain private. They said that they would use their Powerball jackpot to set up a trust and that most of the money would go to charity.
"We are thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care,'' said the Acostas in a statement."
4. US$132.59 Crore - 2024
A single ticket sold in Oregon, featured all winning numbers on April 6, 2024. The jackpot had reached US$132.59 Crore after a series of rollovers. The lucky Powerball winner became Oregon's biggest lottery winner! This title was previously owned by a Salem man who had scooped US$34 Crore in 2005.
Eventhough, as per Oregon law, the winner had a year to claim his prize (from the date of the draw), he came forward after only a few days. Cheng “Charlie” Saephan came forward but he declared that the prize will be shared between 3 people: himself (25%), his wife (25%) and their friend Laiza Chao (50%).
Charlie was thrilled about his win. He said that he prayed to God a lot as his kids are young and he isn't that healthy. He now feels that he can live "worry free" with his cancer.
5. US$108 Crore - 2023
A lucky player from Los Angeles, California became rich on July 19, 2023, when she hit the US$108 Crore Powerball jackpot.
This jackpot had been elusive since April 19, and it took 38 draws without a winner before finally being claimed on the 39th draw. The jackpot was initially estimated at US$100 Crore before being revised shortly after the draw took place due to last minute ticket purchases.
This Powerball winner, Yanira Alvarez, came forward nearly 8 months after the draw. She declined to make any public comments when her name was revealed. She chose the one-time payment of US$55.81 Crore.
6. US$84 Crore - 2016
A ticket from Michigan hit the Powerball jackpot on the first day of 2024! It was the first time a Powerball jackpot was won on New Year’s Day since the game began in 1992. The ticket was the only one that matched all six numbers and won a whopping US$84.24 Crore. The cash option for the jackpot was US$42.52 Crore. The numbers that won the January 1st draw were white balls 12, 21, 42, 44, 49 and red Powerball 1, with a Power Play of 3X. The jackpot increased from its initial US$81 Crore to US$84.24 Crore after the draw, thanks to the high demand for tickets. This was the 5th-largest Powerball jackpot and the 10th-largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history.
7. US$76.84 Crore - 2019
The first Jackpot of 2019, which was estimated at US$75 Crore was scooped by a single player from Wisconsin: Manuel Franco. This player has been extremely lucky as ticket sales exceeded expectations and ended up giving a US$76.84 Crore Jackpot. It isn't often that we can say a Jackpot was recalculated to a bigger amount. It puts this win on the map of the biggest Powerball Jackpots ever won!
It may be on the second spot on our Powerball Jackpots list, but Manuel is the biggest solo Powerball winner of the World! All he had to do was to play the main numbers 16, 20, 37, 44, 62 and the Powerball 12. He chose the lump sum payment of US$47.7 Crore. We wish him all the luck in the World with his new wealth!
Manuel decided not to reveal too much about himself, but he told the journalists that he left his job two days after realizing he had won the Jackpot. He also added that his father cried when he heard the news, while his mum was confused at first. Manuel Franco was only 24 years old when he became rich while playing the lottery, but he was already playing since he was 18. He said he never believed someone like him could win, but, thankfully he was proven wrong. From that day, he decided not to play anymore. He will help his family, maybe travel a bit, but he won't waste it all. He put up a team of financial professionals to help him make the best choices with his wealth. He was ready, and his lawyer was confident that Manuel was down to Earth so that he is only living a better life since then.
8. US$75.8 Crore - 2017
After the US Powerball set the world record for the largest lottery jackpot in 2016, America’s biggest lottery set yet another record in 2017. No wonder the Powerball is on of the most popular american lotteries! Mavis Wanczyk from Massachusetts had the sole winning ticket for a Powerball jackpot worth US$75.8 Crore, which was the second biggest lottery win on a single ticket at the time, and until Manuel Franco upgraded that amount.
Mavis’ story is the ultimate lottery fairytale. At the age of 53, she lived a happy quiet life with her two children. She had been working in patient care for 32 years and she did not foresee any major changes coming her way. That was until the day she beat the 1 in 29,22,01,338 odds of winning the Powerball and won US$75.8 Crore.
With such a lottery fortune, there was little that Mavis could not do. The first decision she made was to quit her job at the Mercy Medical Center. “I called and told them I will not be coming back”, said Mavis. While most lottery winners indulge in high-end purchases and extravagant parties, Mavis just wanted to relax before merging towards the lottery-winner lifestyle.
“I had a pipe dream and my pipe dream has finally come true," said Mavis Wanczyk.
She chose the lump payment for her Powerball jackpot, which was worth US$48.05 Crore before taxes. Even after paying her dues to the state, Mavis was still left with an enormous fortune. After going public to collect her prize, her name was all over the news, but she has stayed out of the media’s eye ever since, living her happily ever after.
9. US$75.4 Crore - 2023
A lucky Powerball winner took home slightly over US$75 Crore on February 6, 2023. The lucky player scooped this amazing prize which had been rolling over since November 2022. He became one of the biggest Powerball winners.
10. US$73.11 Crore – 2021
2021 started with an amazing jackpot worth US$73.11 Crore! It was scooped by a single ticket from Maryland. This jackpot is amazing in more than one way:
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It is the 1st jackpot of the year 2021
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It is the 4th biggest Powerball jackpot ever won
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It was the very first time in history that the Powerball & the Mega Millions were both exceeding US$70 Crore in the same time.
11. US$69.98 Crore - 2021
A single ticket sold in California matched all six numbers and scooped nearly US$70 Crore on October 4, 2021. After nearly 4 months or actually 40 rollovers, it was about time for the Powerball jackpot to make a winner.
It is also the 1st Powerball jackpot to be scooped since the Powerball lottery added a supplementary draw on Mondays (since August 23, 2021). The winning numbers of this Monday draw were: 12-22-54-66-69/25.
The winner, Scott Godfrey is a regular philanthropist, and has been for years! He said that every time he purchased lottery tickets without winning he thought about the fact that a portion of the winnings from California lottery ticket sales go to California's education system.
In his first and sole statement, Mr Godfrey let us know is that he is thrilled to know that US$7.8 Crore has been raised for education thanks to his winning ticket! Being a private person, he wished to remain prviate and has declared that he will not give more details about his life nor his projects except that he will continue helping various charities close to his heart.
You should know that this jackpot is the 7th largest American jackpot ever scooped! It is also, and above all, the largest lottery jackpot ever scooped in California!
12. US$68.78 Crore - 2018
In October 2018 the US Powerball went on a rollover streak yet again. When the jackpot reached US$68.78 Crore, everybody was dreaming of taking home the huge pot. Eventually, in the October 27 draw, two lucky lotto players; one from New York and one from Iowa; matched all main numbers and the Powerball and therefore shared the jackpot.
The first winner to come forward was Lerynne West from Redfield, Iowa. She chose the lump sum payout method worth US$19.81 Crore, which is a life-changing amount. She wanted to share her amazing luck with her friends and family and help those in need. She also established a foundation to honor Callum, her grandson who passed away as a new-born.
The second winner is 67-year-old Robert Bailey, from Manhattan, New York. The retired federal employee has been playing the lottery for 25 years using the same lucky numbers. This picking lottery numbers technique worked for him! Bailey bought his jackpot-winning ticket from a local deli in Harlem after getting in stay out of the rain.
Mr. Bailey explained that he plans to take his time and enjoy his new-found fortune. He wants to buy a new house for his mother and invest his money smartly in order to provide for his family in the years to come. Additionally, he assured us that he will continue to play the lottery with the same lucky numbers!
This is the US Powerball jackpot Hall of Fame, which features the largest wins in the entire history of the lottery. With its jaw-dropping prizes, Powerball has revolutionized the entire industry. Do you want a chance to win the world’s biggest lottery? Then you should know that you can buy tickets online and check the Powerball results to make sure you never miss a potential win. Indians can play Powerball legally on our platform and take part in America’s finest game.
You now know a bit more about those players that entered the Powerball Hall of Fame with prizes exceeding US$50 Crore. Powerball revolutionized the lottery world with incredible prizes that noone could have imagined before. Read all about how to participate to this amazing lottery on our US Powerball guide. Try your luck out on LottoSmile & let us know how it works out for you in the comments section below. Good luck!