Top 5 Biggest Jackpots in History
A look back at the most massive lottery jackpots ever won and the stories behind them.
The dream of the 'big one' has produced some truly staggering figures over the last decade. As multi-state lotteries in the US and transnational games in Europe have adjusted their rules to encourage rollovers, the billion-dollar jackpot has moved from a statistical impossibility to a semi-regular occurrence. The record-holder remains the November 2022 Powerball draw, which reached a mind-numbing $2.04 billion, won by a single ticket holder in Altadena, California.
Coming in second is the $1.6 billion Mega Millions draw from 2023, followed closely by the original record-breaker: the $1.586 billion Powerball split between three winners in early 2016. These massive sums don't just change lives; they impact local economies and generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue for state education systems. For most winners, the journey begins with a simple $2 ticket and ends with a permanent place in the history books of gaming.