Lottery jackpot records
This is a collection of notable lottery jackpot records in the United States, Europe and the Philippines, listing the largest prizes/jackpots awarded in various drawings.
El Gordo
Spain's Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad (Spanish Christmas Lottery) is generally considered to be the world's largest lottery game, with the largest first prize/jackpot. In 2012, the first prize was €720 million (then US$941.8 million; $1.058 billion in 2020 dollars). The total prize pool in 2012 was €2.52 billion (US$3.297 billion; $3.704 billion in 2020 dollars). The tickets for this drawing have pre-printed five-digit numbers, with each set of numbers sold multiple times in series. For example, a ticket with the number "00001" was printed 180 times under different series numbers. Moreover, each series is divided into 10 décimos (tenths in English), which are the individual tickets available for purchase. This results in the top prize being split by a very big number of winners usually from different regions of Spain. The 2011 top prize of €720 million was paid out as €4 million (US$5.2 million) to each of the 180 tickets (or €400,000 for each décimo) with the number 58268.[1] In 2016, the total prize pool was $2.310 billion (US$2.414 billion)[2][3]
United States
All lottery winnings are subject to Federal taxation (automatically reported to the Internal Revenue Service if the win is at least $600); many smaller jurisdictions also levy taxes. The IRS requires a minimum withholding of 25% of the prize (minus the wager) of any gambling win in excess of $5,000. However, the net for a major prize often is misleading; winners often owe the IRS upon filing a return because the Federal withholding was below the winner's tax obligations. Nonresident U.S. lottery winners[4] have 30% of winnings of at least $600 withheld.
While the largest lottery prizes in the early history of U.S. state lotteries were "annuity-only", these lotteries gradually introduced a "cash option" for these games.
All prizes listed below are reported as the pre-withholdings amount, as this is taxable income the player must report on their returns to be subject to taxation. Jackpots and jackpot shares listed below are annuity amounts (and the cash value.)
For various reasons, an annuitized jackpot can have a higher cash value than a larger annuity with a lower cash value. Examples include the annuity structure of various games: while Mega Millions' and Powerball's annuity option each are 30 annual payments, Mega Millions' annuity payments increase 5 percent yearly, while Powerball increases 4 percent yearly; this makes the Mega Millions' annuity structure somewhat more "inflated".
List of U.S. lottery drawings of $300 million or more (annuity value) with at least one jackpot-winning ticket (dollar amounts in millions):[5][6]
| Rank | Jackpot | Cash value | Tickets | Per ticket | Game | Date | Where | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,586.4 | $983.5 | 3 | $327.8 | Powerball | Jan. 13, 2016 | CA, FL, TN | World's largest jackpot (cash value & annuity); 9th largest cash value per ticket. |
| 2 | $1,537 | $877.8 | 1 | $877.8 | Mega Millions | Oct. 23, 2018 | SC | Largest jackpot for a single ticket; largest cash value for a single ticket.[7] |
| 3 | $768.4 | $477 | 1 | $477 | Powerball | Mar. 27, 2019 | WI | 3rd largest jackpot for a single ticket. Bought in New Berlin, Wisconsin.[8] |
| 4 | $758.7 | $480.5 | 1 | $480.5 | Powerball | Aug. 23, 2017 | MA | 2nd largest jackpot for a single ticket. |
| 5 | $687.8 | $396.2 | 2 | $198.1 | Powerball | Oct. 27, 2018 | IA, NY | [9] |
| 6 | $656 | $474 | 3 | $158 | Mega Millions | Mar. 30, 2012 | IL, KS, MD | |
| 7 | $648 | $347.6 | 2 | $173.8 | Mega Millions | Dec. 17, 2013 | CA, GA | |
| 8 | $590.5 | $370.9 | 1 | $370.9 | Powerball | May 18, 2013 | FL | |
| 9 | $587.5 | $384.7 | 2 | $192.4 | Powerball | Nov. 28, 2012 | AZ, MO | |
| 10 | $564.1 | $381.1 | 3 | $127.0 | Powerball | Feb. 11, 2015 | NC, PR, TX | |
| 11 | $559.7 | $352 | 1 | $352 | Powerball | Jan. 6, 2018 | NH | |
| 12 | $543 | $320.5 | 1 | $320.5 | Mega Millions | July 24, 2018 | CA | [10] |
| 13 | $536 | $378.3 | 1 | $378.3 | Mega Millions | July 8, 2016 | IN | |
| 14 | $533 | $324.6 | 1 | $324.6 | Mega Millions | Mar. 30, 2018 | NJ | [11] |
| 15 | $530 | $345.2 | 1 | $345.2 | Mega Millions | June 7, 2019 | CA | |
| 16 | $487 | $341.7 | 1 | $341.7 | Powerball | July 30, 2016 | NH | |
| 17 | $456.7 | $269.4 | 1 | $269.4 | Powerball | Mar. 17, 2018 | PA | [12] |
| 18 | $451 | $281.9 | 1 | $281.9 | Mega Millions | Jan. 5, 2018 | FL | |
| 19 | $448.4 | $258.2 | 3 | $86.1 | Powerball | Aug. 7, 2013 | MN; NJ (2) | |
| 20 | $447.8 | $279.1 | 1 | $279.1 | Powerball | Jun. 10, 2017 | CA | |
| 21 | $437 | $261.8 | 1 | $261.8 | Mega Millions | Jan. 1, 2019 | NY | |
| 22 | $435.3 | $263.4 | 1 | $263.4 | Powerball | Feb. 22, 2017 | IN | |
| 23 | $429.6 | $284.1 | 1 | $284.1 | Powerball | May 7, 2016 | NJ | |
| 24 | $425.3 | $242.2 | 1 | $242.2 | Powerball | Feb. 19, 2014 | CA | |
| 25 | $420.9 | $254.6 | 1 | $254.6 | Powerball | Nov 26, 2016 | TN | |
| 26 | $414 | $230.9 | 2 | $115.4 | Mega Millions | Mar. 18, 2014 | FL, MD | |
| 27 | $410 | $316.8 | 1 | $316.8 | Mega Millions | June 09, 2020 | AZ | |
| 28 | $399.4 | $223.3 | 1 | $223.3 | Powerball | Sep. 18, 2013 | SC | |
| 29 | $396.9 | $274.6 | 1 | $274.6 | Powerball | Jan. 29, 2020 | FL | |
| 30 | $393 | $247 | 1 | $247 | Mega Millions | Aug. 11, 2017 | IL | |
| 31 | $390 | $233.1 | 2 | $116.5 | Mega Millions | Mar. 6, 2007 | GA, NJ | |
| 32 | $380 | $240 | 2 | $120 | Mega Millions | Jan. 4, 2011 | ID, WA | |
| 33 | $372 | $251.6 | 1 | $251.6 | Mega Millions | Dec. 17, 2019 | OH | |
| 34 | $365 | $177.3 | 1 | $177.3 | Powerball | Feb. 18, 2006 | NE | |
| 35 | $363 | $180 | 2 | $90 | The Big GameMM | May 9, 2000 | IL, MI | Largest Big Game jackpot before it became Mega Millions |
| 36 | $344.6 | $223.3 | 1 | $223.3 | Powerball | June 1, 2019 | NC | |
| 37 | $340 | $164.4 | 1 | $164.4 | Powerball | Oct. 19, 2005 | OR | |
| 38 | $338.3 | $211.0 | 1 | $211.0 | Powerball | Mar. 23, 2013 | NJ | |
| 39 | $337 | $224.7 | 1 | $224.7 | Powerball | Aug. 15, 2012 | MI | |
| 40 | $336.4 | $210.0 | 1 | $210.0 | Powerball | Feb. 11, 2012 | RI | |
| 41 | $333 | $214 | 2 | $107 | Mega Millions | Aug. 28, 2009 | CA, NY | |
| 42 | $331 | $174 | 3 | $58 | The Big GameMM | Apr. 16, 2002 | GA, IL, NJ | |
| 43 | $330 | $194.4 | 4 | $48.6 | Mega Millions | Aug. 31, 2007 | MD,NJ,TX,VA | |
| 44 | $326 | $197.5 | 1 | $197.5 | Mega Millions | Nov. 4, 2014 | NY | |
| 45 | $319 | $202.8 | 1 | $202.8 | Mega Millions | Mar. 25, 2011 | NY | |
| 46 | $315.3 | $183 | 1 | $183 | Powerball | May 19, 2018 | NJ | |
| 47 | $315 | $185[13] | 1 | $185 | Mega Millions | Nov. 15, 2005 | CA | |
| 48 | $314.9 | $170.5 | 1 | $170.5 | Powerball | Dec. 25, 2002 | WV | Won by Jack Whittaker[14] |
| 49 | $314.3 | $146.0 | 1 | $146.0 | Powerball | Aug. 25, 2007 | IN |
Notes:
Europe
Unlike in the United States, where lottery wins are taxed, European jackpots are generally tax-free (the lotteries themselves are taxed in other ways) and jackpots are paid in a lump sum. For example, in the United Kingdom's National Lottery, wagers are split between the game operator Camelot Group and the government, with Camelot distributing its share among prizes, operating costs, profit,[15] Camelot's 'good causes' programme, with the remainder going to the government as value-added tax (VAT) due.[16]
- Examples of largest jackpots in specific European lotteries
- £170.2 million (EUR190 million/US$208.2 million) was the largest prize won by a UK winner in the pan-European EuroMillions in GBP currency, won on 8 October 2019 in the UK.[17]
- €190.0 million is the maximum jackpot in the EuroMillions lottery and it's paid out four times:
| Chronological Nr. | Date | Jackpot in Euro | Winner | Prize in Euro | Prize in Pound | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2012-08-10 | 190,000,000 | 1 | 190,000,000 | 148,700,000 | UK |
| 2 | 2014-10-24 | 190,000,000 | 1 | 190,000,000 | 149,800,000 | Portugal |
| 3 | 2017-10-06 | 190,000,000 | 1 | 190,000,000 | 170,800,000 | Spain |
| 4 | 2019-10-08 | 190,000,000 | 1 | 190,000,000 | 170,200,000 | UK |
- €90.0 million is the maximum jackpot in the Eurojackpot lottery and it's paid out eleven times:
| Chronological Nr. | Date | Jackpot in Euro | Winner | Prize in Euro | Prize in Pound | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2015-05-15 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 65,500,000 | Czech Republic |
| 2 | 2016-10-14 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 81,000,000 | Germany |
| 3 | 2017-01-06 | 90,000,000 | 5 | 18,000,000 | 15,400,000 | 3 X Germany, Netherlands & Denmark |
| 4 | 2018-02-09 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 79,700,000 | Finland |
| 5 | 2018-07-06 | 90,000,000 | 2 | 45,000,000 | 39,800,000 | 2 X Germany |
| 6 | 2018-11-16 | 90,000,000 | 5 | 18,000,000 | 16,000,000 | 2 X Germany, Finland, Spain & Italy |
| 7 | 2019-05-10 | 90,000,000 | 2 | 45,000,000 | 39,500,000 | Germany & Poland |
| 8 | 2019-08-23 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 82,400,000 | Finland |
| 9 | 2019-11-22 | 90,000,000 | 3 | 30,000,000 | 25,800,000 | 2 X Germany & Hungary |
| 10 | 2020-02-07 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 76,500,000 | Germany |
| 11 | 2020-05-01 | 90,000,000 | 1 | 90,000,000 | 79,000,000 | Germany |
- €209 million (US$233.7 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in Italy's SuperEnalotto lottery, won on 13 August 2019.
- €45.4 million (US$67 million) was the largest jackpot in Germany's Lotto 6 aus 49, won in December 2007 by three tickets.
- €37.7 million (US$48 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in the German Lotto 6 aus 49, won on 7 October 2006.
- SEK 238 million (US$38 million) is the largest single ticket jackpot of Svenska Spel Lotto Drömvinsten
- £66.1 million (US$96 million) was the largest jackpot in the United Kingdom's Lotto, won on 9 January 2016 by two tickets.
- CHF 48.6 million (US$ 53.2 million) was the largest jackpot in Switzerland's Swiss Lotto, won on 23 August 2014.[18]
- £35.1 million (US$49.6 million) was the largest winner on the UK Lotto game in April 2016.
- €38.4 million (US$49.7 million) was the largest jackpot in the Netherlands draw of the Staatsloterij (State Lottery) in May 2013.
- €30 million (US$31 million) was the largest jackpot in France's SuperLoto, won in May 2006 by two tickets.
- €24 million (US$35 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in the French SuperLotto, won on 6 June 2011.
- €22,5 million (US$23.9 million) was the biggest lotto win in Hungary was on Eurojackpot (half of the €45 mil.) on 10th February 2017. This 7 billion HUF worth grand prize beat a 5 billion record set up in 2003. [19]
- SEK 215 million (€22 million, US$30 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in Sweden's Lotto of Svenska Spel, won on 27 March 2010.[20]
- €19 million (US$30 million) was the largest jackpot and largest single-ticket jackpot in Ireland's Lotto, won on 28 June 2008 by a group of sixteen colleagues at a quarry and concrete plant in County Carlow.[21]
- €12.2 million (US$15.7 million) was the largest jackpot in Finland's Lotto of Veikkaus, won in October 2012 by one ticket.
- €13 million (US$17.9 million) was the largest jackpot in Belgium's Loterie Nationale/Nationale Loterij, won in December 2013 by one ticket.
- €4.32 million (US$4.77 million) was the largest jackpot in Russia's Gosloto 6 to 45, won in February 2016 by one 1800-roubles ticket. This is the largest jackpot in Russia.[22]
Philippines
On November 29, 2010, a Filipino bettor from the U.S. state of New York, won the ₱741,176,323,20 jackpot for Grand Lotto 6/55, while on vacation in Olongapo, Zambales, but the win was claimed one month later on December 9.[23][24][25] On October 14, 2018, two bettors from Albay and Eastern Samar split the ₱1,180,622,508 (US$21,862,177) jackpot for Ultra Lotto 6/58, the largest lottery won in Philippine history.[26]
References
- http://www.elgordo.com/results/elgordo2011_results.asp
- El Gordo is right: Spain has world's largest lottery worth $2.4 billion
- Hundreds of People Just Won Spain’s $2.4 Billion Christmas Lottery
- "Lottery Tax Refund For Non-U.S. Residents". Archived from the original on 2015-02-19. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
- "Powerball Winners". Archived from the original on 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
- "Mega Millions Winners".
- http://www.megamillions.com/news-releases/record-mega-millions-jackpot-won-in-south-carolina
- https://tirage-gagnant.com/39863/powerball-768-millions-dollars-remporte-wisconsin/
- https://www.powerball.com/article/6878-million-powerball-jackpot-won-iowa-and-new-york
- http://www.megamillions.com/news-releases/lucky-mega-millions-jackpot-winner-in-california
- http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/533-million-mega-millions-winner-checked-numbers-15-times-article-1.3932366
- http://pix11.com/2018/03/18/biggest-lottery-jackpots-in-u-s-history/
- "USAmega.com results for 11/15/2005".
- "Press Release". Powerball. 2002-12-26. Archived from the original on 2012-08-25. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
- http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/fundraising/news/content/14225/lotto_price_hike_will_cut_percentage_per_ticket_going_to_charity
- http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageExcise_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000259&propertyType=document#P32_2269
- Scott, Kirsty (July 15, 2011). "EuroMillions jackpot win makes couple richer than Ringo". The Guardian. London.
- "Rekorde | Gewinner". Retrieved 2016-12-12.
- Magyar Eurojackpot telitalálat(in Hungarian)
- Svenska Spel har inte fått tag på storvinnaren Archived 2011-11-16 at the Wayback Machine
- Gold strike for quarry team - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie
- Житель Новосибирска выиграл в «Гослото» 358 миллионов - Газета Труд(in Russian)
- "Jackpot! Olongapo bettor wins P741.176-M lotto prize". GMA News. November 30, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- "Balikbayan claims P741 million Grand Lotto prize". ABS-CBN News. December 9, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- Perseus Echeminada (December 1, 2010). "Olongapo Lotto bettor wins P741 million with lucky pick". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
- Ramos, Christia Marie (October 14, 2018). "At last, 2 bettors hit UltraLotto 6/58 jackpot of P1.18 billion". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved October 15, 2018.