The 10 Biggest Lottery Jackpots Ever Won in History (2026)
“From a $2.04 billion Powerball ticket bought at a gas station in California to the largest Canadian prize ever — these are the ten life-altering moments when someone held the right numbers.”
The scale of the world's largest lottery jackpots is genuinely difficult to process. A billion dollars — 10,000 $100-bills stacked to a height of 1 metre, 10,000 times. These are numbers that transform not just one life, but the financial trajectory of families for generations. Here are the ten largest single lottery jackpots ever awarded, with the real stories behind the numbers.
#1: $2.04 Billion — Powerball (November 8, 2022, California). The largest lottery jackpot in world history was won by Edwin Castro of Altadena, California, who purchased the single winning ticket at Joe's Service Center in Altadena. The jackpot had rolled over 40 times over three months as the prize climbed from $20 million to an unprecedented $2.04 billion. Castro chose the lump sum cash option: $997.6 million before federal taxes, leaving him with approximately $628 million after the 37% federal rate. No state income tax in California? False — California does not tax lottery winnings at the state level, which saved Castro an additional $130 million compared to winning in New York.
#2: $1.765 Billion — Powerball (October 11, 2023, California). The second-largest jackpot was claimed by a single ticket sold at Midway Market & Liquor in Frazier Park, California. The ticket was purchased through an automated dispenser, and the winner chose anonymity through an LLC — a legal strategy available in California that has become the standard advice from lottery attorneys.
#3: $1.602 Billion — Mega Millions (August 8, 2023, Florida). A group of investors purchased the winning ticket in Neptune Beach, Florida. Florida is one of the few US states with no state income tax, making it one of the most favourable states to win a lottery jackpot. The group took the cash option, dividing approximately $792 million before federal taxes.
#4: $1.537 Billion — Mega Millions (October 23, 2018, South Carolina). At the time, this was the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history. The winner — a South Carolina resident who chose to remain anonymous — took the cash option of approximately $877 million, receiving about $480 million after federal taxes. South Carolina allows lottery winners to remain anonymous, and the winner took full advantage of that provision.
#5: $1.326 Billion — Mega Millions (April 6, 2024, New Jersey). The winner of this jackpot — the largest ever in the state of New Jersey — purchased the ticket at a Shop-Rite in Neptune City. New Jersey has a 10.75% state income tax on lottery winnings above $1 million, meaning the winner faced a combined federal and state tax burden of nearly 48%.
#6: $1.08 Billion — Powerball (July 19, 2023, California). A single ticket purchased at Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles matched all five white balls plus the Powerball. This was the third billion-dollar Powerball jackpot in under a year — a sequence that illustrated how rapidly jackpots could escalate when no one matched the numbers for weeks.
#7: $842.4 Million — Powerball (January 1, 2024, Michigan). The winning ticket was sold at a Kroger grocery store in Novi, Michigan. Michigan has an income tax rate of 4.25% on lottery winnings, adding to the federal burden. The winner took the lump sum of approximately $425 million before taxes.
#8: $810.6 Million — Mega Millions (January 13, 2023, Maine). Maine has relatively favourable tax treatment for lottery winners compared to states like New York (10.9% state rate). The winning ticket was purchased at a Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon.
#9: $768.4 Million — Powerball (March 27, 2019, Wisconsin). At the time, this was the third-largest Powerball jackpot ever. The sole winning ticket was sold at Speedway #4234 in New Berlin, Wisconsin. The winner, Manuel Franco, 24 years old at the time of the win, publicly came forward and received approximately $326.8 million after the lump sum reduction and taxes.
#10 (Canada): $80,403,285 — Lotto Max (December 30, 2025, Ontario). The largest Canadian lottery payout in history — two London, Ontario men, who both received the full $80 million tax-free under Canadian law. This is the record to beat in Canada. Unlike the US entries on this list, every dollar is intact upon delivery. As a percentage of purchasing power, some Canadian experts argue that $80 million (tax-free) is a better outcome than winning $200 million (taxed to ~$100 million) in the United States — you end up in roughly the same place but with cleaner, simpler paperwork.