It's National Lottery Day. See who has won the biggest Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots
Feeling lucky?
National Lottery Day is Wednesday, July 17, and while the odds may not be in your favor, every game's jackpot will eventually have a winner, right?
The lottery, which has been around since 1441, has evolved to a game that can win you hundreds of millions of dollars if you hit the right jackpot. But the earliest lotteries in the United States paid for cannons during the American Revolution. Lottery money was also use to fund the construction of paved roads up and down the East Coast, according to the National Day Calendar.
Although the lottery has changed over time, one thing has remained the same: people willing to take a chance.
Take a look at the top 10 biggest jackpots won for the Mega Millions and Powerball drawings in the history of the games.
Top 10 biggest jackpots won for the Mega Millions and Powerball
$2.04 billion
Edwin Castro was 31 years old when he won a record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot after he bought his ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena on Nov. 7, 2022, according to Powerball and reporting by USA TODAY.
Since his win, which saw him take home $628.5 million after taxes, Castro has bought a $47 million mega mansion in Los Angeles, his third major home purchase after he also bought homes in the Hollywood Hills and Altadena, both in the Los Angeles area.
He also bought a vintage Porsche, according to the lottery.
$1.602 billion
Someone in the Sunshine State had all the lucky numbers to win the $1.602 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Aug. 8, 2023.
The winning ticket was claimed by Saltines Holdings, LLC on Dec. 27, 2023. The winning ticket was purchased from Publix, located at 630 Atlantic Boulevard in Neptune Beach. The retailer received a $100,000 bonus for selling the lucky ticket. The winner chose the one-time lump-sum payment option and received $794,248,882.00 after taxes, the Mega Millions press release said.
The winner walked away with a lump-sum payment of $794 million.
$1.586 billion
Luck came in threes for these winners from California, Florida and Tennessee. After an appearance on The Today Show, the Tennessee winners claimed their $1.586 billion jackpot at the Tennessee Lottery headquarters in Nashville for the Jan. 13, 2016, drawing, the Powerball said.
Lisa and John Robinson of Munford, along with their daughter Tiffany and dog Abby arrived to claim their winnings. The winners chose to receive the lump-sum cash payment of $328 million before taxes.
"I am a little overwhelmed and excited," Lisa Robinson said during a news conference at the headquarters. "We just wanted a little piece of the pie, but instead we got a big piece!"
The California winners, Marvin and Mae Acosta, also chose the cash option amount of $328 million. The couple told the lottery officials that they plan to keep a low profile but will be donating to charities that are important to them, the Powerball said.
Claiming their prize as “The Nickel 95 Trust,” Florida winners Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach took home $328 million, as well, reported Florida Today, part of the USA TODAY Network.
$1.537 billion
Following closely behind the previous three Powerball jackpot winners, a South Carolina woman won the $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize in October 2018.
The anonymous winner was visiting from out of town and chose to take a "scenic drive during some down time" when she passed a KC Mart in Simpsonville, South Carolina and decided to buy a ticket there after the sign advertising the huge jackpot "caught her eye," according to a press release issued by her attorney to The Greenville News, part of the USA TODAY Network.
When she realized she was the winner the morning after the drawing, "complete shock and disbelief" set in and she jumped in joy, the release said.
She opted for a lump-sum payment of $878 million.
$1.348 billion
Many people believe that Friday the 13th brings bad luck, but not everyone shares the same sentiments.
A lucky Mega Millions player in Maine won the first-ever jackpot for the state in January 2023, proving that Friday the 13th may be a lucky day, the Mega Millions said.
But his big win has not been without drama. The winner wanted to remain anonymous and actually sued the mother of his child to stay that way.
$1.337 billion
Two very lucky lottery winners in Illinois waited two months to claim their Mega Millions prize in 2022. They waited so long because they spent several weeks "working with professional legal and financial advisors to support the claim process," the Mega Millions said.
"The winners wish to remain anonymous, and the Illinois Lottery is unable to share any information about the winners except to say that they must be absolutely 'over the moon' with their Mega Millions win," the Mega Millions said.
The winners bought their ticket at a Speedway in Des Plaines, which "turned out to be a life-changing decision," the lottery said.
$1.128 billion
Who knew a trip to the package store could make you a billionaire?
One New Jersey Mega Millions player won the $1.128 billion jackpot for the March 26, 2024, drawing, the Mega Millions said.
The lottery said the winning ticket was sold at ShopRite Liquor #781, 2200 Route 66, Neptune Township in Monmouth County. The winner has chosen to remain anonymous.
$1.05 billion
A Michigan Lottery club had a lot to celebrate after they won the $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot in January 2021.
“A club member saw a sign that the jackpot was up to $1 billion and remembered that they hadn’t bought their tickets yet, so they pulled into the Kroger,” the club’s representative and attorney, Kurt D. Panouses, told lottery officials. “When you play of course you dream of winning, but the reality of it has been incredible.”
The group planned to use some of their winnings to help local charities in the southeast of Michigan, the lottery said.
The group that is called The Wolverine FLL Club and chose to receive their prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $776 million. After taxes the group received about $557 million, the lottery said.
$768.4 million
Manuel Franco was 24 years old when he won a $768.4 million Powerball jackpot for the March 27, 2019, drawing, saying at the time that when he was checking his winning ticket, "my heart started racing." When he realized every single one matched, he screamed.
"I wasn't ready for it," he said, USA TODAY reported at the time. His biggest financial worry up until this point, Franco said, was "trying to get my bank account to $1,000."
He had played Powerball routinely since he turned 18.
He said he assembled a team of advisers to guide him through the sudden riches, a lump-sum payout of $477 million.
Contributing: Gabe Cavallaro, Sarah Hauer
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.