10 Biggest Powerball Jackpots Ever

Are you wondering what was the biggest jackpot ever? We’ve listed the top ten Powerball lottery jackpots, counting down from tenth place to the biggest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, which is also the world record jackpot prize. If you get lucky, maybe one day you will find your name on this list!

 

10. Scott Godfrey - 4 October 2021 - $699.8 Million

A 4-month record rollover streak was broken after a single Powerball ticket won the lottery's $699.8 million ($496 million cash value) jackpot! The draw’s winning numbers were 12, 22, 54, 66, 69, and Powerball 15. This was, at the time, the biggest jackpot ever won in California. The lucky winner, Scott Godfrey, said he won his prize after buying 10 Quick Picks at a Morro Bay supermarket. He elected to take the lump-sum prize amount of nearly $496 million (less federal taxes).

 
biggest powerball lottery jackpots

9. The Power Pack - 20 January 2021 - $731.1 Million

A ticket purchased at the Coney Market, a convenience store in Lonaconing, Maryland, had the only full match of the Powerball numbers drawn. The prize was claimed on 26 May 2021 by anonymous winners who identified themselves as “The Power Pack.” The winners chose the $546.8 million lump sum cash option (approximately $366.6 million after federal and state taxes). 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."

8. Becky Bell - 6 February 2023 - $754.6 Million.

A single ticket in Washington won a $754.6 million Powerball jackpot ($407.2 million cash) after matching all six numbers drawn - white balls 5, 11, 22, 23, 69 and red Powerball 7. The 34th drawing of this Powerball jackpot finally brought it home after being eluded for so long. Final ticket sales bumped the jackpot higher than what was estimated to $754.6 million at the time of the drawing, this makes it the fifth-biggest Powerball jackpot and ninth-biggest U.S. lottery jackpot to ever be won.

biggest powerball lottery jackpots

7. Mavis Wanczyk - 23 August 2017 - $758.7 Million

It looked like Powerball was on its way to a second billion-dollar jackpot, but that was not to be. Even so, the winner of the draw on 23 August 2017 went straight into the record books! Mavis Wanczyk, a hospital worker from Massachusetts, was the sole winner of an incredible $758.7 million jackpot prize. This win set records, at the time, for the second biggest American lottery jackpot ever awarded, as well as the highest annuitized jackpot and cash value prize ever won by a single ticket.

Surprisingly, Massachusetts Lottery officials and Wanczyk held a press conference shortly after the draw. This was quite unusual as big lottery winners tend to retain their privacy as long as possible. Apparently Wanczyk couldn't keep her jackpot win a secret!

6. Manuel Franco - 27 March 2019 - $768.4 Million

A single ticket purchased in Wisconsin was the only winner of a $768.4 million ($477 million cash) Powerball jackpot, the fourth-largest in U.S. lottery history. The winning numbers were white balls 16, 20, 37, 44, 62, plus Powerball 12. The winner of the enormous prize was identified as a 24-year-old Wisconsin man named Manuel Franco. At a press conference Franco said, “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.”

5. Anonymous - 1 January 2024 - $842.4 Million

After 35 suspense-filled rollovers, a single Powerball ticket sold in a Grand Blanc, Michigan convenience store snagged the $842.4 million jackpot on New Year's Day. Talk about starting 2024 on the right foot! The lucky ticket had matched all six numbers, which were: 12  21  42  44  49 and Powerball 1. Jackpot winners can choose to receive their prize money in 29 annual installments or in a one-time lump sum worth $425.2 million. Not only is this the first win of the year, but it is also now ranked the 10th biggest prize awarded in US lottery history. 

4. Anonymous - 19 July 2023 - $1.08 Billion

One lucky player from California was the single winner to win the $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 third largest Powerball jackpot and sixth largest U.S. lottery jackpot to date.

3. Lisa & John Robinson; The Nickel 95 Trust; & Marvin and Mae Acosta - 13 January 2016 - $1.586 Billion

US Powerball made significant rule changes in 2015, which they hoped would give them a billion-dollar jackpot by 2020. Turns out they only had to wait a few months, not years, to see their billionaire dreams come true.

After more than two months of rollovers, the jackpot was climbing closer and closer to the $1 billion mark. It was utter madness around the world as millions of people clamoured to buy Powerball tickets off- and online. When the jackpot finally rose to $1.58 billion, the whole world held its breath in anticipation. On 13 January 2016, three tickets with the winning numbers -- 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10 -- made lottery history. Not only was this the biggest jackpot in U.S. history, but it was also the biggest lottery jackpot in the world for six years!

John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee were so excited, they just had to let the entire nation know that they were one of the fantastically lucky winners. John, an Air Force veteran, and Lisa, who works in a dermatology clinic, participated in a television interview before they even claimed their winnings!

The Tennessee Lottery confirmed that the pair was indeed one of the historic lottery winners and the couple claimed its unbelievable $528 million share at a lottery press conference. The couple brought along their daughter Tiffany and their dog Abby, who promptly fell asleep as they were handed their epic cheque. Lisa and John decided to take the lump sum cash option of $327.8 million before taxes.

Another $528 million prize was claimed by The Nickel 95 Trust. The trustee is Maureen Smith, 70, of Melbourne Beach, Florida. The Trust also chose to receive the winnings in a one-time, lump-sum payment.

The final winning Powerball ticket belonged to Marvin and Mae Acosta from southern California. Unlike the other two winners, the Acostas waited seven months before they came forward to claim their third of the prize. The reason for the delay was that the couple had enlisted a team of lawyers and financial advisers to help handle this incredible prize.

2. Anonymous - 11 October 2023 - $1.765 Billion

The California Dream does come true! Powerball’s second-biggest jackpot was won by a single ticket sold in California to a winner who has yet to be named. The $1.765 billion jackpot prize was matched after 36 weeks of suspenseful rollovers, and it’s the third billion-dollar jackpot won in 2023 and second-biggest jackpot prize in the world. The lucky player(s) matched all six winning numbers, which were: 22, 24, 40, 52, 64 and the Powerball 10.

1. WORLD RECORD JACKPOT! WORLD RECORD JACKPOT! Edwin Castro - 7 November 2022 - $2.04 Billion

The much-anticipated draw finally came around, but due to a technical glitch, it would be pushed off by a day, increasing sales and pushing the jackpot to $2.04 billion! Though millions across the globe were playing Powerball in a bid to win this historic top prize, it was a single ticket purchased in California that finally managed to correctly guess the winning numbers on 7 November 2022, making Edwin Castro the owner of the world’s biggest jackpot in history.

The last time a Powerball crossed the billion-dollar mark had been six years ago, so when this jackpot reached $1.9 billion, lottery fans around the world were on edge waiting to see if someone would finally match the unprecedented prize or if it would once again increase and surpass $2 billion - something no other jackpot in history has ever done! A record-breaking $156.3 million will be awarded to California's public schools – thanks to the win. School attendance records will determine the distribution of the prize.

“As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California Public School system,” Castro’s statement reads.


Biggest Powerball Jackpots - Can You Win One?

Winning any Powerball jackpot is an incredible feat, and you’re no doubt envious of the winners! There is only one way to to take a chance at finding yourself listed among the top ten Powerball jackpot winners of all time. Playing the lottery! Purchase your Powerball tickets now and maybe you will get lucky!!

Powerball's $2.04 billion jackpot set a world record, but Mega Millions passed it with its own record jackpot of $1.602 billion! Take a look at our list of top Mega Millions jackpots and check how Powerball compares with Mega Millions for more information.