Mega Millions v. Powerball. Which has produced more Florida winners?
A $5 Mega Millions ticket could make a lucky lottery player one of the richest winners in the game’s history this weekend, with the jackpot at $743 million for the Friday, July 24, drawing. And the Powerball jackpot is catching up, passing the half-billion mark and sitting at $567 million for the Wednesday, July 22, drawing.
Florida is among the top 10 states with the most Powerball wins, but how lucky is the Sunshine State when it comes to Mega Millions wins? And has a Floridian ever won a billion-dollar jackpot?
Here’s a comparison of Mega Millions and Powerball odds of winning, which one has produced more winners in Florida and when the next drawings are.
When will the Mega Millions jackpot hit $1 billion?
The average rollover amount for the Mega Millions jackpot over the last month has been approximately $29.1 million, as of July 22. If the jackpot were to continue to roll over at this rate, it would reach $1 billion in nine more rollovers, which would be on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
Mega Millions v. Powerball: Which lottery has produced more Florida winners?
Powerball has produced more Florida jackpot winners than Mega Millions. There have been 17 Powerball jackpot wins in Florida and only six Floridians have won Mega Millions jackpots.
This is partly because Mega Millions has only been selling tickets in Florida since 2013, when it became the 43rd state to sell Mega Millions tickets. Powerball tickets have been sold in Florida since 2009.
When did Mega Millions tickets go from $2 to $5?
Mega Millions tickets start at $5 apiece. There is no “Megaplier” option for an extra $1 like in years past. The tickets increased from $2 to $5 in April 2025.
How rare is it to win Mega Millions? When is the next Mega Millions drawing?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions website, players have a 1 in 290,472,336 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball.
Mega Millions drawings are at 11 p.m. ET on Tuesdays and Fridays. The next drawing will be Friday, July 24.
What are the chances of winning Powerball?
The odds of winning Powerball are even lower. According to the Powerball website, players have a 1 in 292.2 million chance to match all six numbers whether the jackpot is $20 million or $2 billion. Prizes range from $2 to the grand prize jackpot, which varies.
Powerball drawings are at 11 p.m. ET on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. The next drawing will be tonight, Wednesday, July 22.
Can you stay anonymous if you win the lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery’s website, winners cannot remain anonymous: “Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner’s name, city of residence, game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information.”
However, the site states, the “names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner.”
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
Biggest Powerball, Mega Millions lottery jackpots ever won
As of July 22, 2026, there have been 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. These are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
- $2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.82 billion Powerball prize, Dec. 24, 2025, won by an anonymous player in Arkansas
- $1.79 billion Powerball prize, Sept. 6, 2025, tickets purchased in St. Louis, Missouri, and Fredericksburg, Texas
- $1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
- $1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.269 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of California
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets?
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It’s harder to find a gas station that doesn’t sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery, and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the “Where to Play” search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This content is sourced from www.tcpalm.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
