Top American Powerball Jackpots of All Time

Lottery fans the world over know that the biggest jackpots on the planet are awarded by the American Powerball game. Powerball's incredible jackpots rocket sky high draw after draw, making headlines and setting world records. Rival American lottery Mega Millions is making its bid to pass Powerball, but in the meantime, Powerball is the king. Who are the lucky winners of the biggest US Powerball jackpots of all time? Keep on reading and meet these very lucky lottery players.


1. US$2.04 Billion - 7 November 2022

The current record prize was won on 7 November 2022 in a draw worthy of such a momentous moment.

After more than three months and 40 rollovers, the US Powerball jackpot had not only passed the previous record, it was tantalisingly close to US$2 billion! The whole world was anxiously anticipating the draw to find out which lucky winner would become an instant billionaire. Then, just as the stakes couldn't have gotten any higher, the scheduled draw time came and went and the results were nowhere to be found. Lottery fans the world over were up in arms as it was announced that a technical glitch had delayed the draw, which wouldn't end up taking place until the morning of 08 November.

The anticipation might have been torture for millions of players, but it was well worth the wait for one incredibly lucky Californian who became the single winner of the biggest jackpot in history. Not only that, increased sales had pushed the jackpot to $2.04 billion! 

In February of the following year, after months of speculation, the luckiest winner of all time finally stepped forward. Edwin Castro said that he was "shocked and ecstatic" about the win, and promised that California's public schools would also benefit from his fortune.

2. US$1.765 Billion - 11 October 2023

After 35 consecutive rollovers, the US Powerball jackpot was finally won on 11 October, once again by a ticket sold in California!

Prior to this, there had never been consecutive billion dollar jackpots with the US Powerball. Many watched in anticipation as rollovers continued week after week, wondering whether or not the record $2.04 billion would be surpassed. 

Despite people frantically getting their numbers in for the draw, only one player was able to select all six numbers and the Powerball number correctly! This recent victory affirms that the two highest Powerball jackpots of all time were both sold in California.

Some states have laws allowing winners to remain anonymous if they choose, but California is not one of those states, so we will eventually learn the identity of the winner.

3. US$1.586 Billion - 13 January 2016

The US Powerball set the world record for the largest lottery jackpot, closely followed by the biggest Mega Millions jackpot worth US$1.537 billion, on 13 January 2016. When a lottery offers a prize this big, everybody wants to play by purchasing a ticket in this historic draw.

Three tickets matched the Powerball numbers drawn and they were sold in three different US states: California, Tennessee and Florida. So who were these three winners who beat the US Powerball odds to share the historic jackpot?

The first ones to come forward were Lisa and John Robinson from Tennessee. Guided by the advice of a Memphis-based attorney, they paraded their winning ticket on the Today show before they went through the prize collection process.

“Not only are we private, we’re common people.”[…] “We’re just like y’all. These big fancy houses are nice, but you gotta clean ‘em.”

These were the Robinsons’ words on 15 January 2016. Their plan was to keep living in their three-bedroom home in Munford, continue working and go on with their lives. Were they kidding anyone? Maybe themselves, but that did not last long. Half a year later, the Robinsons were switching to a lavish 10-bedroom mansion surrounded by a 320 acres of land and facing a private lake. It came with a US$6.2 million price tag, but how much is too much when you cashed over US$300 million?

Next came The Nickel 95 Trust. This is how the Florida winners decided to claim their win. However, their identities quickly became known. A Melbourne Beach couple, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith have been Florida residents for 25 years. They refused to give too many details regarding their personal life or their plans how they would use their sudden windfall.

After a long waiting period, Marvin and Mae Acosta from California came forward as well to claim their share of the Powerball record jackpot.

“We are thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care.”
“We have engaged a team of advisors to educate and guide us through this process.”

Have they been true to their words? Nobody knows for sure as the Acostas have wiped out their social media accounts, and left their 5-bedroom home in Eastvale they had purchased only a few months before the win. Obviously, they did not leave a forwarding address.

4. US$1.08 Billion - 19 July 2023

One lucky California ticket holder was the single winner of a whopping $1.08 billion ($558.1 million cash) Powerball jackpot after successfully matching all six numbers. The winning numbers were white balls 7, 10, 11, 13, 24, plus Powerball 24 and the Power Play multiplier was 2X. After pushing past it's original estimate of $1 billion this jackpot is the 3rd largest Powerball jackpot and 6th largest U.S. lottery jackpot to date.

5. US$768.4 Million - 27 March 2019

24-year-old Wisconsin resident Manuel Franco had a lucky feeling when he walked into a Speedway outlet not far from Milwaukee to purchase US$10 worth of individual Powerball tickets for the lottery's draw on 27 March 2019. "I honestly felt so lucky that I did look up at the camera and I wanted to wink at it cause I just had that lucky feeling,” he said at a news conference.

The day after he won an enormous US$768 million jackpot, Franco went to work as usual but he was anxious and sweating. He said he never showed up to work again after that day. Franco said he would take the lump sum of his prize and would receive just over US$326 million after taxes.

“ To win feels something like a dream and I feel like at any moment I might wake up. I just can’t believe an ordinary guy like me would ever be in this position. … I will say that the two-dollar ticket you buy is worth the chance to change your life forever. It certainly has changed my life and I look forward to the future.”

Franco told reporters at the conference, “I'm sure you'll never see me as like one of the people who went bankrupt or broke or anything like that. I plan to live my life normal as much as possible."

6. US$758.7 Million - 23 August 2017

The biggest jackpot of 2017, the Powerball prize of US$758.7 million, made all the headlines. The legendary prize was collected by a single ticket-holder and her name is now lottery history. Mavis Wanczyk even held, at the time, the world record for the largest lottery win on a single ticket.

So, who is Mavis Wanczyk? She is from Massachusetts; she has two children; and she has been working in patient care for the more than 32 years. Once she cashed in the golden Powerball ticket, she decided to quit her position at the Mercy Medical Center. “I called and told them I will not be coming back”, said Mavis during a news conference.

“ The first thing I want to do is just sit back and relax. I just want to be me and be alone and…figure out what I want to do.”

What does one do with an astounding jackpot of US$758 million? Mavis did not want to make rash decisions, so she decided to begin her lottery life with some well-deserved rest. Dealing with a lottery jackpot of such astounding proportions can be both a blessing and a curse and the process of dealing with everything might prove to be rather overwhelming.

Everybody wanted to know what Mavis would end up doing with her millions. Would she buy a mansion? Would she travel the world? Would she get a glamorous wardrobe? Mavis Wanczyk came to collect her Powerball jackpot with the biggest smile on her face, and since then, she’s kept a low profile.

There was no news about any world travels, nor about any high-life enhancements. Mavis has managed to do what so many other smaller lottery winners have failed to do, and that is to live a quiet lottery life. It remains to be seen what the future has in store for Mavis Wanczyk because, with a Powerball jackpot this size in your bank account, the story is never over.


7. US$754.6 Million - 6 February 2023

Mere months after a massive US$2.04 billion jackpot, US Powerball was back at it again with another top prize for the history books.

It took 34 rollovers to make this one of the biggest Powerball jackpots ever, as well as one of the top ten largest in world history!

Finally, however, a single lucky ticket from Washington state was able to break through the daunting odds to win the amazing prize.

Winner Becky Bell, a Boeing employee, accepted the prize as a lump sum worth US$309 million (around AUD$457 million) after taxes.

8. US$731.1 Million - 20 January 2021

They call themselves "The Power Pack" and that's all we know about them. Together they purchased a ticket at a convenience store in Maryland for the draw on 20 January 2021, and it was the only full match of the Powerball numbers drawn. The winners chose the US$546.8 million USD lump sum cash option (approximately US$366.6 million USD after tax deductions).

According to Maryland Lottery officials, the winners will invest their money in caring for their families and positively impacting their communities "for generations to come."

“ This can’t be right, I’m going to work.” - The Power Pack member who bought the winning ticket

9. US$699.8 Million - 4 October 2021

After what was at the time a record 4-month rollover, Californian Scott Godfrey was the lucky chap who broke through the odds and landed a US$699.8 million prize (US$496 million cash value).

For years, this prize stood as the highest ever awarded in the state of California.

When will the next Powerball record be broken?

The stories of these lucky players who won the top Powerball jackpots of all time remind everybody why taking a chance by playing the lottery is definitely worth it. With its amazing prizes and its exciting features, such as the powerful Power Play multiplier, the US Powerball is undoubtedly the most exciting lottery you can play. For further information about the lottery, check our US Powerball Guide.

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