Publix, Kroger sold winning Powerball, Mega Millions over $1 billion: List of biggest jackpots
Billion-dollar lottery winners! Mega Millions, Powerball’s 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.
- As of Labor Day, or Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, there have been 13 times a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached $1 billion or more.
- Only once in history did a lottery jackpot reach and surpass $2 billion. The powerball winner? Edwin Castro of Altadena, California.
- Most of the Mega Millions and Powerball billion-dollar lottery jackpot winners have come from California. Florida has had its share of billion-dollar jackpot winners, too.
- What are the odds? 2 beachside Florida Publix stores sold a Powerball and Mega Millions ticket worth $1.58 billion.
Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots have reached $1 billion 13 times in history: Will the Labor Day 2025 Powerball drawing result in the latest billion-dollar lottery winner?
As they say in the lottery business, “it could happen to you.”
The next Powerball drawing on Monday, Sept. 1, marks 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. Rosemary Casarotti, who lives in a small town in California, collected the grand prize, according to California Lottery officials.
Who won the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history? Below is a compilation of all 13 billion-dollar Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots, who won, who sold the tickets and their one-time lump-sum prizes.
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?
Powerball made history Jan. 11, 2016, the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion. After 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. The winning Florida ticket was purchased from a Publix store in Melbourne Beach.
As of Aug. 31, 2025, the $1.586 billion Powerball prize remains the third-largest lottery jackpot of all-time.
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.
Fun fact: Jan. 22, 2021, is a palindromic number, when written in this style, 1/22/21, meaning the number is the same when the digits are reversed.
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 will win $1.10 billion Powerball drawing on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025?
In just under three months, the Powerball lottery streak that started June 2, 2025, at $20 million grew to $1.10 billion, with a cash option of $498.4 million, for Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, or Labor Day (the first Monday in September).
On Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, a day before the Aug. 30, 2025, Powerball drawing, lottery officials announced this series crossed the billion-dollar mark. (On Wednesday, Aug. 27, the jackpot was at $950 million, and ticket sales ahead of the Aug. 30 drawing pushed it to record numbers.)
*Ticket sales ahead of Monday’s 2025 Labor Day Powerball drawing will likely push the jackpot to a higher place on this list.
10th 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.
9th 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 the luckiest holiday of all — 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. The convenience store on Rhonda Road in Shasta County received a $1,000,000 bonus.
8th 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.
7th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.337 billion Mega Millions drawing on July 29, 2022?
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.
6th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.35 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 13, 2023?
A single ticket was purchased in Maine for 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.
Fun fact: Jan. 13, 2023, was Friday the 13th. The number 13 typically is referred to as an unlucky number, and it’s associated with horror films — and Taylor Swift.
5th 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.
4th biggest jackpot: Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing on Aug. 8, 2023?
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.
Fun fact: Of the 11 times a Mega Millions or Powerball lottery jackpot reached $1 billion, two of them came from a Florida beachside Publix store with the grand prize at $1.586 billion and $1.58 billion.
3rd 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 winner.
2nd 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.
The 1st or largest jackpot: Who won $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot?
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.
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 Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has within the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more for Mega Millions and Powerball? List of biggest lottery jackpots in US history
As of Aug. 31, 2025, there have been 13 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
- $1.73 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
- $1.10 billion Powerball prize, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025? TBD
- $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
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This content is sourced from www.tcpalm.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
