Powerball hits $1 billion, again. See list of biggest jackpots in history
Billion-dollar lottery winners! Mega Millions, Powerball biggest prizes ever are tied to NBC’s ‘Today’ show, a Florida Publix and a Michigan Kroger.
Neptune ShopRite shoppers react to $1.1B Mega Millions jackpot winner
The jackpot is the fifth highest in the game’s nearly three-decade history, agency representatives said in a release.
- The Powerball jackpot has reached $1 billion for the second time in 2025.
- There have been 14 lottery jackpots in U.S. history that have reached or surpassed the $1 billion mark.
- The biggest Powerball win in Ohio was $261.6 million in June 2010.
The Powerball jackpot has hit $1 billion — again. It’s the second time this year the jackpot has hit the billion-dollar threshold.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have now reached $1 billion 14 times in history. The most recent win came on Sept. 6, 2025, with a $1.787 billion Powerball jackpot.
Compared to previous years, it’s an interesting phenomenon, as 2023 saw four billion-dollar lottery jackpots, and there were three billion-dollar totals in 2024.
The previous 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 went 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. California resident Rosemary Casarotti collected the grand prize, according to California Lottery officials.
Who won the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history? Who have been Ohio’s biggest winners? Here are some things to know about Powerball winners, Mega Millions winners, those (other) billion-dollar drawings and a list from lowest total to highest.
When was the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion? December 2025 Powerball is one of the biggest
The Dec. 13, 2025, Powerball drawing is the 14th billion-dollar multi-state lottery jackpot ever.
Powerball made history on Jan. 11, 2016, the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion. When no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the (Saturday) Jan. 9, 2016, drawing for $949 million, the Monday jackpot soared to $1.4 billion. (No one won that drawing either.)
Powerball made history again when three tickets matched all six numbers to win $1.586 billion in the (Wednesday) Jan. 13, 2016, drawing. The jackpot started Nov. 4, 2015, at $40 million. It had rolled over almost 30 times from Nov. 4, 2015, to Jan. 13, 2016, before three tickets from California, Tennessee and Florida claimed the grand prize.
But that wasn’t the largest jackpot ever, and the Sept. 6, 2025, Powerball jackpot of $1.787 billion Powerball prize was the second-largest lottery jackpot of all time.
What are the biggest Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots won in Ohio?
The largest jackpot won in Ohio came from Mega Millions.
Brian C. Mulhall claimed a $372 million prize in trust on Dec. 17, 2019, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. The ticket was purchased at a Giant Eagle in Mentor.
The biggest Powerball win in Ohio came in June 2010, when an anonymous winner claimed the $261.6 million jackpot through a blind trust, according to Jackpot.com. The ticket was purchased at a carryout store in Sunbury. The winner opted for a lump sum, taking home $135 million before taxes.
Generate Powerball ticket numbers for Dec. 13 drawing
*14th biggest jackpot: Who will win the $1 billion Powerball drawing on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025?
On Thursday, Dec. 11, Powerball officials announced that the jackpot had reached the $1 billion mark, the seventh-largest in Powerball history. The Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025, drawing was worth $936 million. The drawing for the billion-dollar prize will be held at 10:59 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025.
*Ticket sales ahead of the Saturday, Dec. 13, Powerball drawing may push the jackpot to a higher place on this list.
13th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.05 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 22, 2021?
A single ticket won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Jan. 22, 2021, in Michigan. An Oakland County lottery club, the Wolverine FLL Club, made up of four members, came forward to claim the prize. Kurt Panouses, an Indialantic Florida-based attorney who represents lottery winners, represented the Wolverine FLL Club. The winning ticket was purchased from a Kroger grocery store in Novi, Michigan.
12th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.08 billion Powerball drawing on July 19, 2023?
A single ticket was purchased in California for the July 19, 2023, Powerball drawing for $1.08 billion. The winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market in Los Angeles, which 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. Yanira Alvarez of California claimed the prize.
11th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.128 billion Mega Millions drawing on March 26, 2024?
A single ticket was purchased in Neptune, New Jersey, for the March 26, 2024, Mega Millions drawing for $1.128 billion. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, finally came forward a day before Christmas Eve, or Dec. 23, 2024.
10th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.269 billion Mega Millions drawing on Dec. 27, 2024?
A single ticket in California purchased just after Christmas and Hanukkah and ahead of New Year’s Eve correctly matched all five numbers plus the Mega Ball to win the $1.22 billion Mega Millions drawing for Dec. 27, 2024.
Months later, the winner was revealed on St. Patrick’s Day 2025. Rosemary Casarotti of California officially collected her prize, which had ballooned to $1.269 billion after final ticket sales. Casarotti opted for the lump sum, valued at more than $571 million, less federal taxes. The ticket was sold at a Circle K in Cottonwood, California.
9th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.326 billion Powerball drawing on April 6, 2024?
One ticket, three winners: A single ticket was purchased by Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon for $1.326 billion Powerball prize on April 6, 2024.
8th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.337 billion Mega Millions drawing on July 29, 2022?
A single ticket in Illinois won the July 29, 2022, Mega Millions drawing. Two people who wished to remain anonymous claimed the $1.337 billion jackpot.
7th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.35 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 13, 2023?
A single ticket in Maine claimed the 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.
6th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.537 billion Mega Millions drawing on Oct. 23, 2018?
A single ticket was purchased in South Carolina for the Oct. 23, 2018, Mega Millions drawing. The $1.537 billion winner was never revealed. Winners in South Carolina can remain anonymous.
5th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing on Aug. 8, 2023?
A single ticket sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida, won the Mega Millions drawing for Aug. 8, 2023. The $1.58 billion winner claimed the prize on 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, but lottery experts have said there are ways to remain anonymous.
4rd biggest jackpot: Who won $1.586 billion Powerball drawing on Jan. 13, 2016?
Three tickets purchased in California, Florida and Tennessee won the Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball drawing, splitting $1.586 billion.
In 2016, FLORIDA TODAY reported Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt bought their winning Powerball ticket at a Publix in Melbourne Beach. The couple waited until February 2016 to claim their share of the grand prize.
Six months after the drawing, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California claimed their Powerball winnings of $528.8 million, according to the California Lottery.
The Tennessee Lottery announced a family from Munford, Tennessee, was the third winner in the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot. John and Lisa Robinson claimed their share of the jackpot — after making an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show with Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly to declare themselves the winners.
3rd biggest jackpot: Who won $1.73 billion Powerball jackpot?
For the $1.73 billion Powerball prize for Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California came forward to claim the ticket. California Lottery said he represented a group of winners. In California, a big jackpot winner must claim the ticket in person. It was purchased at Midway Market in California.
2nd biggest jackpot: Who won $1.787 billion Powerball drawing on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025?
In just under three months, the Powerball lottery that started on June 2, 2025, at $20 million grew to an estimated $1.787 billion, for Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. On Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, lottery officials announced this series crossed the billion-dollar mark.
A pair of tickets sold in Texas and Missouri won and split the jackpot.
The 1st or largest jackpot: Who won $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot?
The largest lottery prize ever climbed to $2.04 billion in November 2022. 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 the winner was revealed on Valentine’s Day ? Feb. 14, 2023.
Edwin Castro won the largest-ever lottery jackpot, and he opted for a lump sum of $997.6 million, just shy of $1 billion, according to the California Lottery.
How long does it take for a Powerball or Mega Millions lottery to reach $1 billion?
It varies depending on the number of rollovers and ticket sales. Sometimes it’s just over two or three months of drawings.
How long do you have to cash in a winning Ohio Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Ohio Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing.
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more for Mega Millions and Powerball? List of biggest lottery jackpots in US history
As of Dec. 12, 2025, 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
- $1.787 billion Powerball prize, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2025. Winners from Missouri and 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 prize, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of Cottonwood, 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
- $1.05 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
- $1 billion Powerball prize, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025? TBD
This content is sourced from www.cincinnati.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
