In November 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California, became the largest lottery winner in US history for his record $2.04 billion Powerball win.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
- 2 billion-dollar lottery jackpots for Mega Millions and Powerball were purchased at a Florida Publix. The amount? $1.58 billion and $1.586 billion.
- In Florida, stores that sell winning Mega Millions or Powerball jackpots are eligible for a bonus commission. It varies state by state.
- 13th time Powerball and Mega Millions reached $1 billion jackpot. Sept. 3, 2025, Powerball drawing was for $1.40 billion.
Lucky No. 13!
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have reached $1 billion 13 times in history: Will the next Powerball drawing result in the latest billion-dollar lottery winner?
As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
The Powerball drawing on Aug. 30 marked the first time in 2025 a lottery crossed the billion-dollar mark. Compared to previous years, it’s an interesting phenomenon: 2023 saw four billion-dollar lottery jackpots, and there were three billion-dollar totals in 2024.
The last billion-dollar lottery jackpot occurred during the 2024 holiday season: After three months of Mega Millions rollovers − from Sept. 13, 2024, a Friday the 13th, to Dec. 24, 2024, or Christmas Eve − the grand prize grew from $20 million to a whopping $970 million. A Christmas Eve rollover led to the $1.22 billion Mega Millions drawing for Dec. 27, 2024. A woman from a small town in California collected the grand prize, according to California Lottery officials.
Who won the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history? Where were the winning billion-dollar lottery tickets sold? Below is a compilation of all 13 billion-dollar Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots, who won, who sold the tickets and whether the winners opted for a one-time lump-sum prize. The billion-dollar drawings is compiled in a list from lowest total to highest.
Photos of Powerball, Mega Millions billion-dollar lottery winners and who sold winning tickets
13th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.05 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 22, 2021?
Who won $1.05 billion Mega Millions? An Oakland County, Michigan, lottery club, the Wolverine FLL Club, made up of four members, came forward in March 2021 to claim the $1.05 billion Mega Millions prize from Jan. 22, 2021.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.05 billion Mega Millions? Kroger, 47650 Grand River Ave., Novi, Michigan, sold the winning ticket and received a $50,000 bonus commission.
Did $1.05 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? According to the Detroit Free-Press, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, the Wolverine FLL Club from Oakland County, Michigan, opted to receive a one-time lump sum payment of about $776 million instead of annuity payments for the full amount. According to the Michigan Lottery, “after required income tax withholdings of 24% federal tax (about $186 million) and 4.25% state tax (about $33 million), the club received about $557 million.”
12th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.08 billion Powerball drawing on July 19, 2023?
Who won $1.08 billion Powerball? Yanira Alvarez of California won the July 19, 2023, Powerball prize for $1.08 billion.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.08 billion Powerball? Las Palmitas Mini Market, 1205 Wall St., Los Angeles, California, sold the winning ticket and received a $1 million bonus commission, according to California Lottery officials. Owner Nabor Herrera was not aware that he’d sold the winning ticket until he saw media gathered in front of his store, the morning after the drawing.
Did $1.08 billion Powerball winner choose full amount or lump sum? Yanira Alvarez of California chose the one-time lump sum of $1.08 billion, which totaled to $558.1 million prior to federal taxes, the California Lottery said in a news release.
11th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.128 billion Mega Millions drawing on March 26, 2024?
Who won $1.128 billion Mega Millions? The New Jersey winner of the $1.128 billion Mega Millions drawing from March 26, 2024, came forward Dec. 23, 2024 (or 12/23/24 for numbers enthusiasts) and chose to remain anonymous.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.128 billion Mega Millions? Neptune Township ShopRite, 2200 NJ-66, in Neptune City, New Jersey, sold the winning ticket and received a $30,000 bonus commission.
Did $1.128 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? The winner received the cash value of the prize, which was “$537.5 million before state and federal taxes,” New Jersey Lottery representatives said in a story by the Asbury Park Press, a USA TODAY Network newspaper.
10th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.269 billion Mega Millions drawing on Dec. 27, 2024?
California Lottery announces winner of $1.269 billion lottery
On Monday, the California Lottery announced the winning ticket was purchased by Rosemary Casarotti at a Circle K in Cottonwood, California.
Who won $1.269 billion Mega Millions? Rosemary Casarotti of Cottonwood, California, won the $1.22 billion Mega Millions prize from Dec. 27, 2024. Final total was $1.269 billion and claimed on St. Patrick’s Day 2025.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.22 billion Mega Millions? Circle K, 3505 Rhonda Road, Cottonwood, California, sold the winning ticket and received a $1 million bonus.
Did $1.269 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? Rosemary Casarotti opted for the lump sum, valued at more than $571 million less federal taxes, according to California Lottery officials.
9th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.326 billion Powerball drawing on April 6, 2024?
Who won $1.326 billion Powerball? One ticket, three winners: A single ticket purchased by Cheng and Duanpen Saephan of Portland, Oregon, and Laiza Chao of Milwaukie, Oregon, won $1.326 billion Powerball prize from April 6, 2024.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.326 billion Powerball? The convenience store Plaid Pantry in northeast Portland, Oregon, sold the winning ticket and received a $100,000 bonus.
Did $1.326 billion Powerball winner choose full amount or lump sum? Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, Duanpen Saephan and Liza Chao chose the one-time lump sum of $422 million after taxes — 8% state and 24% federal taxes withheld, according to the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon, a USA TODAY Network newspaper.
8th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.337 billion Mega Millions drawing on July 29, 2022?
Who won $1.337 billion Mega Millions? A single ticket was purchased in Illinois for the July 29, 2022, Mega Millions drawing. Two people who wished to remain anonymous claimed the $1.337 billion jackpot in September 2022.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.337 billion Mega Millions? The Illinois Lottery revealed a gas station in a Chicago suburb, Speedway gas station, 885 E. Touhy Ave., Des Plaines, Illinois, sold the winning ticket worth $1.337 billion for July 29, 2022.
Did $1.337 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? The winners of the July, 29, 2022, drawing for $1.337 billion opted to take a lump sum payment of $780.5 million, Illinois Lottery officials said.
7th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.35 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 13, 2023?
Who won $1.35 billion Mega Millions? A single ticket was purchased in Maine for the Friday the 13th, Jan. 13, 2023, Mega Millions drawing. The winner remains anonymous through a trust and accepted their winnings of $1.35 billion through the limited liability company LaKoma Island Investments LLC, according to a Feb. 22, 2023, story in USA TODAY.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.35 billion Mega Millions? Hometown Gas and Grill in Lebanon, Maine, sold and winning ticket and received a $50,000 bonus.
Did $1.35 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? Michael Boardman, deputy director of Maine Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operation, told the Associated Press in February 2023 that the anonymous winner chose the lump sum payment, getting $723.6 million before taxes. In the 2023 USA TODAY story, “Boardman said the winner would receive more than $498 million after taxes, as $173.6 million will go to federal government and $51 million to the state.”
*6th biggest jackpot: Who will win $1.40 billion Powerball drawing? Next drawing is Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025
*Who won $1.40 billion Powerball? No winner − yet. In three months, the Powerball lottery streak that started June 2, 2025, at $20 million grew to $1.40 billion, with a cash option of $634.3 million, for Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
*Ticket sales ahead of Wednesday’s Powerball drawing will likely push the jackpot to a higher place on this list.
5th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.537 billion Mega Millions drawing on Oct. 23, 2018?
Who won $1.537 billion Mega Millions? A single ticket was purchased in South Carolina for the Oct. 23, 2018, Mega Millions drawing. The $1.537 billion winner was never revealed, but New York attorney Jason Kurland represented the winners, according to a March 2019 story by the Greenville News, a USA TODAY Network newspaper. Winners in South Carolina can remain anonymous.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.537 billion Mega Millions? KC Mart, No. 7, 303 Lee Vaughn Road, Simpsonville, South Carolina, sold the winning ticket. South Carolina stores selling lottery tickets typically receive 1 percent of the proceeds, but those are capped at $50,000: “Too bad for me,” store owner Chirag Jayanti Patel, or C.J. Patel in some news reports, joked in an October 2018 story on greenvilleonline.com, adding he hoped all the attention would bring his store more business. After taxes, Patel would have about $30,000, which he said he would share with his four employees, news reports show.
Did $1.537 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? The $1.537 billion Mega Millions winner, described as a South Carolina woman who was visiting Greenville County, opted for a one-time lump-sum payment of $877,784,124, South Carolina Lottery officials announced in March 2019.
4th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing on Aug. 8, 2023?
Biggest Mega Millions win of all-time, Publix grocery store in Florida in 2023
The biggest Mega Millions win of all-time is $1.58 billion, won in Florida in 2023.
Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions? A single ticket was purchased at a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida, for the Aug. 8, 2023, drawing. The $1.58 billion winner claimed the prize Sept. 25, 2023, and the Florida Lottery announced the winner — Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami — on Dec. 27, 2023. Their actual identity remains a mystery. In Florida, it is public record to know the identities of lottery winners and where the winning ticket was sold. However, lottery experts have said there are ways to remain anonymous.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.58 billion Mega Millions? Publix, 630 Atlantic Blvd., Neptune Beach, Florida, sold the winning ticket and received a $100,000 bonus commission.
Did $1.58 billion Mega Millions winner choose full amount or lump sum? On Sept. 25, 2023, the winner — Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida — claimed the prize, but it was not known whether it was a one-time lump sum or annual payments.
3rd biggest jackpot: Who won $1.586 billion Powerball drawing on Jan. 13, 2016?
Who won $1.586 billion Powerball? Three tickets purchased in California, Florida and Tennessee won the Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball drawing, splitting $1.586 billion:
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.586 billion Powerball? Three Powerball Lottery retailers sold winning tickets for the $1.586 billion Powerball drawing for Jan. 13, 2016, the first time in history a lottery reached $1 billion:
- Naifeh’s Food Market in Munford, Tennessee, about 30 miles northeast of Memphis, sold a winning ticket from $1.586 billion Powerball to John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, and received a $25,000 bonus commission.
- Publix, 3830 S. SR A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida, sold a winning ticket to Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, and the store received a $100,000 bonus commission.
- 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, California, about 35 miles east of Los Angeles, sold a winning ticket to Marvin and Mae Acosta of California. Store owner Balbir Atwal said he collected $1 million, according to California Lottery officials.
Did $1.586 billion Powerball winner choose full amount or lump sum?
- John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, chose a one-time lump-sum payment from their $528.8 million share of the $1.586 billion Powerball.
- David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach, Florida, chose a one-time lump-sum payment from their $528.8 million share of the $1.586 billion Powerball.
- Marvin and Mae Acosta of California chose a one-time lump-sum payment from their $528.8 million share of the $1.586 billion Powerball.
2nd biggest jackpot: Who won $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot?
Who won $1.73 billion Powerball? For the $1.73 billion Powerball prize for Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California said he represented a group and came forward to claim the ticket. California Lottery rules dictate jackpot winners claim the ticket in person, and a winner cannot remain anonymous.
Who sold the winning ticket for $1.73 billion Powerball? Midway Market, 6032 Frazier Mountain Park Road, Frazier Park, California, sold the winning ticket and received a $1 million bonus commission. Final ticket sales pushed the total to $1.765 billion, California Lottery said in a news release.
Did $1.765 billion Powerball winner choose full amount or lump sum? California Lottery officials did not release how many winners besides Theodorus Struyck of California were in the group, but officials did share how much their one-time lump sum cash option would be: $774.1 million.
The 1st or largest jackpot: Who won $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot?
Who won $2.04 billion Powerball? The largest lottery prize ever climbed to $2.04 billion in November. The jackpot was an estimated $1.9 billion days before the drawing, but lottery ticket sales helped it grow to more than $2 billion after updated calculations. A single ticket purchased in California won the grand prize, and (fun fact) the winner was revealed on Valentine’s Day − Feb. 14, 2023.
Who sold the winning ticket for $2.04 billion Powerball? Joe’s Service Center, 15 W. Woodbury Road, Altadena, California, sold the winning ticket and received a $1 million bonus commission.
Did $2.04 billion Powerball winner choose full amount or lump sum? Edwin Castro won the largest-ever lottery jackpot of $2.04 billion, and he opted for a lump sum of $997.6 million, just shy of $1 billion, according to the California Lottery.
Contributing: Tanya Wildt, Detroit Free-Press; Jordan Mendoza, USA TODAY
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
