When Mega Millions reached $1.6 Billion, it made headlines. The ticket sales went crazy and the amount of attention was ridiculously high. Another big win in Mega Millions is making headlines as someone on Long Island in New York won a jackpot worth $425 million. It is recorded as the eighth-largest jackpot win in the history of the game. But when we combine the biggest wins of Mega Millions and Powerball drawings, it doesn’t fall in the top 10 biggest wins.
Here is a compiled list of the top 10 jackpot wins in history. With the higher odds and changes in the game rules, the jackpots can become ridiculously higher. Have a look at the top 10 wins and their respective lucky winners. The countdown is as-
10. Powerball: $559.7 million
In New Hampshire, where winners can claim their winnings anonymously, a woman became the first big winner in the year 2018 on Jan 6. Her law firm announced that she is planning to donate $50 million to charity.
9. Powerball: $564.1 million
On Feb 11, 2015, the jackpot was split between three winners from North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Texas.
8. Powerball: $587.5 million
On November 28, 2012, winners from Arizona and Missouri were announced. One of the winners named Mark Hill said they are planning on paying for the college education if their four granddaughters and their four nieces and nephews. But, following that year, a phishing scam mail reportedly used the Hill’s name to acquire bank account numbers and stole a significant amount.
7. Powerball: $590.5 million
Gloria MacKenzie, an 84 years old lady from Florida won the jackpot on May 18, 2013.
6. Mega Millions: $648 million
There were two winners of this Jackpot from California and Georgia. Ira Curry from Stone Mountain, Georgia said that the winning numbers she picked were a combination of family birthdays and 7, her family lucky numbers. The other winner was a resident of San Jose, California, who was a delivery driver who purchased multiple lottery tickets from multiple stores. He realized that he had been to the winning store in the middle of the night.
5. Mega Millions: $656 million
Winning tickets were sold in Illinois, Kansas, and Maryland, and results were announced on March 30, 2012. the winners from Illinois, Merle and Patricia Butler, came forward after 3 weeks to claim their prize. The couple said they are planning to purchase a new car and attend a few St. Louis Cardinal games. The Maryland winners referred to themselves as “The Three Amigos”. They were co-workers and had pooled their money to purchase 60 tickets. They joked about getting matching tattoos of the winning numbers to celebrate their win.
4. Powerball: $687.8 million
Two winners were announced from Iowa and New York on Oct 27, 2018.
3. Powerball: $758.7 million
Well, this one is special as it is the largest jackpot won by a single player from Chicopee, Massachusetts on August 23, 2017.
2. Mega Millions: $1.537 Billion
The winning ticket was sold in South Carolina and was announced on October 23, 2018. The winner has not come forward yet.
1. Powerball: $1.586 Billion
Winning tickets are sold in California, Florida, and Tennessee, and the draw was announced on January 13, 2016.
Powerball and Mega Millions are multi-state games and are played across 44 states. The odds and payback rate of these games can be bad but if you win, the prize can be life-changing. So, always be prepared to win and keep playing!
