25 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history
The Powerball jackpot for Saturday, Feb. 11, just got boosted to $325 million - the ninth biggest annuity prize in U.S. history.
The Powerball jackpot for Saturday, Feb. 11, just got boosted to $325 million - the ninth biggest annuity prize in U.S. history.
But if it rolls over again, a new record might be set.
We might see the first $400 million annuity jackpot.
Here's a list of the 25 largest payouts ever by lotteries in the United States. They're all from three multistate games: Mega Millions; its precursor, the Big Game; and Powerball. In parentheses is the rank for that particular lottery.
1. $390 million, Mega Millions (1), won March 6, 2007, by 2 tickets, in Georgia and New Jersey. (Cash payout was $233.1 million, second all-time.)
2. $380 million, Mega Millions (2), won Jan. 4, 2011, drawing, in Idaho and Washington State. (Cash payout of $240 million was biggest ever.)
3. $365 million, Powerball (1), won Feb. 18, 2006, in Nebraska. (Biggest win ever for a single ticket.)
4. $363 million, Big Game (1), won May 9, 2000, by 2 tickets, in Illinois and Michigan.
5. $340 million, Powerball (2), won Oct. 19, 2005, in Oregon.
6. $336.4 million, Powerball (3), for Feb. 11, 2012, drawing. ($210 million cash jackpot biggest ever for Powerball.)
7. $336 million, Mega Millions (3), won Aug. 28, 2009, by two tickets, in New York and California.
8. $331 million, Big Game (2), won April 16, 2002, by three tickets, in Georgia, Illinois and New Jersey.
9. $330 million, Mega Millions (4), won Aug. 31, 2007, by four tickets, in New Jersey, Maryland, Texas and Virginia.
10. $319 million, Mega Millions (5), won March 25, 2011, in New York. (Biggest Mega Millions jackpot won by a single ticket.)
11. $315 million, Mega Millions (6), won Nov. 15, 2005, by 1 ticket in California.
12. $314.9 million, Powerball (4), won Dec. 25, 2002, by 1 ticket in West Virginia.
13. $314.3 million, Powerball (5), won Aug. 25, 2007, in Indiana.
14. $295.7 million, Powerball (6), won July 29, 1998, in Indiana.
15. $295 million, Powerball (7), won Aug. 25, 2001, in four states, Delaware, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Minnesota.
16. $294 million, Mega Millions (7), won July 2, 2004, in Maryland.
17. $276.3 million, Powerball (8), won by March 15, 2008, in West Virginia.
18. $275 million, Mega Millions (8), won Feb. 22, 2008, in Georgia.
19. $270 million, Mega Millions (9), won Feb. 28, 2006, in Ohio.
20. $266 million, Mega Millions (10), won May 4, 2010, in California.
21. $265 million, Mega Millions (11), won April 18, 2006 in Ohio.
22. $261.3 million, Powerball (9) won July 9, 2003, by 2 tickets, in Pennsylvania and Missouri.
23. $261.6 million, Powerball (10), won June 2, 2010, by one Ohio ticket.
24. $259.9 million, Powerball (11), won Aug. 19, 2009, in South Carolina.
25. 258.5 million, Powerball (12), won April 21, 2010, in Missouri.
Notes: A $258 million Mega Millions jackpot, won Sept. 16, 2005, in New Jersey was that state's biggest solo jackpot win ever.
A 2004 Powerball jackpot with an annuity value of $213.2 million yielded the biggest payout ever in Pennsylvania. It was claimed by Kristine and Steven White, of Somerset County, N.J., who bought a ticket in Bucks County.
For more on lotteries, go to www.philly.com/philly/news/lottery, www.powerball.com or www.megamillions.com.