Which Mega Millions prize winner won the MOST? The $1.602 billion Mega Millions in August 2023 was the biggest in history!
As Mega Millions makes records (the prize won on March 26, 2024 ranks at #5 of all time), we wanted to tell you about the biggest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game.
1. $1.602 Billion (Florida)
A Florida entity by the name of Saltines Holdings, LLC claimed the #1 Mega Millions jackpot in history after its ticket matched 6 of 6 numbers in the August 8, 2023 drawing. The jackpot was SO big it was known as Mega BILLIONS. The lucky ticket was purchased from a Publix in Neptune Beach.
2. $1.537 Billion (South Carolina)
An anonymous player in the small town of Simpsonville, South Carolina is the lucky billionaire. Not only did the SC resident win big, but so did the state itself, receiving $61,000,000 in income tax from the winning ticket.
3. $1.348 Billion (Maine)
On Friday the 13th (January 13, 2023), Maine won its first ever Mega Millions jackpot. The winning ticket was sold at Hometown Gas & Grill in Lebanon, Maine.
4. $1.337 Billion (Illinois)
Two lucky Illinois Lottery players scored the fourth-largest Mega Millions prize ever. The duo wanted to stay anonymous but won on a single ticket. Illinois Lottery said the winners “must be be over the moon.” Around 23 cents of every dollar spent on the Illinois Lottery is returned to education and good causes across the state, so these mystery winners weren’t the only ones getting lucky!
Learn More: Biggest Lottery Win in Every State
5. $1.128 Billion (New Jersey)
The first Mega Millions winner of 2024 had a billion reasons to celebrate. A lucky someone in New Jersey matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 with a ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor in Neptune Township.
6. $1.05 Billion (Michigan)
New year, new millionaires. A lottery club with 4 members in Detroit shared this billion-dollar-jackpot from the Mega Millions drawing on January 22, 2021. The lottery pool, named “Wolverine FLL Club” had the good fortune to hold the ONLY jackpot-winning ticket. “This kind of money will impact the families of our club members for generations to come,” said the lottery club members in a statement. “We plan to stay humble and pay it forward through charitable giving in southeast Michigan.”
7. $656 Million (Kansas, Illinois, Maryland)
Three separate winning tickets, purchased in Kansas, Illinois, and Maryland, split this huge jackpot on March 30, 2012. Two of the three winning tickets were Quick Picks, randomly assigned numbers from the computer. As a spokesperson for the Maryland Lottery put it, “Each of the winners gets $105.1 million in cash after taxes roughly, but who cares about pennies at this point?”
8. $648 Million (California and Georgia)
Two winning tickets, sold on December 17, 2013, left each winner, one in California and one in Georgia, with $324 million. After double-checking his numbers, the Georgia winner said he left this message on his boss’s answering machine: “I’m really sorry boss. I hit the jackpot. I don’t think I’m going to come in today, tomorrow, or ever.”
9. $543 Million (California)
On July 24, 2018, a group of 11 co-workers split this $543 million windfall, thanks to their office pool! All 11 members worked for Wells Fargo in San Jose at the time, which means they will (literally) be pros at managing their new fortune!
10. $536 Million (Indiana)
On July 8, 2016, an Indiana couple won this mega jackpot after buying 5 Quick Pick tickets on a road trip. The winning family was able to remain anonymous by accepting their prize through a law firm in the state.
Honorable Mentions:
$533 Million (New Jersey)
A New Jersey man took home the state’s second-largest jackpot in its history on March 30, 2018. He chose to accept the one-time lump sum payment around $175 million after taxes. He used his good fortune to rebuild a 1964 Corvette and had plans to donate a good amount to charity.
$522 Million (California)
A San Diego woman claimed this half-billion dollar prize on June 7, 2019. Once again, this winning ticket was a result of a Quick Pick. The lucky winner chose to take the cash option of $340 million before taxes and said she planned to pay off debt and buy a new home with her newfound fortune.
$516 Million (Pennsylvania)
A five-person trust named “Peace of Mind” claimed this half-a-billion jackpot from May 21, 2021, which they claimed as a cash lump-sum payment of $348 million. According to their lawyers, “This is life-changing generational money. The winners live in small communities in eastern Pennsylvania and desire to keep their lives as normal as possible. Maintaining anonymity is key to ensuring that normalcy. The winning ticket was a Quick Pick.”
Learn More: Which States Win Mega Millions the Most?
$451 Million (Florida)
Another Quick Pick winner! A very fortuitous 20-year-old man took home this jackpot on January 5, 2018. First, he won $5 from a scratch off and then used that prize to purchase his winning Mega Millions ticket. The winner said that he planned to purchase a home and take care of his family.
$437 Million (New York)
Office party! To their disbelief, a group of 23 co-workers from a small retail business in Long Island took home this record jackpot on January 1, 2019. This was the largest jackpot won in New York State Lottery history. The group opted to take the one-time lump sum payment and each walked away with just under $8 million. Not too shabby.
The More You Know
How high will the jackpot grow? Will one of the winners in this article be replaced? Nothing left to do but play and see! Check out our list of the luckiest states for winning Mega Millions jackpots to see if geography is in your favor.
This article originally appeared on Jackpocket.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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This is the #1 State for Lotto Losers
After a years of high inflation, many Americans may dream more about unlimited wealth. Record-high and near-record-high lottery jackpots occurred over the past couple of years — a $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in November 2022 and a $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot in July.
In light of these life-changing jackpots, LendingTree researchers looked at how much people are spending on lotteries by state — and whether they can afford it. Additionally, we asked nearly 2,000 U.S. consumers about their lottery attitudes and habits. Here’s what we found.
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- Massachusetts residents spent the most per capita on lottery tickets and scratch-offs. Residents spent $805.30 per capita in 2020 — the latest available data — dwarfing fellow Northeastern states New York ($455.93) and Rhode Island ($429.88). Meanwhile, North Dakota residents spent only $32.24 per capita, below Wyoming ($40.97) and Montana ($58.62).
- There’s a saying that you have to spend money to make money, and Massachusetts residents playing the lottery are doing that. Residents got back 70 cents in lottery prize money for every dollar they spent in 2020 — the second-highest after Missouri (71 cents) and ahead of three states at 69 cents. In South Dakota, payouts were only 19 cents per dollar spent, below West Virginia (22 cents) and Oregon (23 cents).
- Combining these elements to compare sales to payouts, Rhode Island residents lost the most cash on lotteries. Rhode Island residents had the worst deficit — the amount spent per capita minus prize payouts per capita — at $281.63 in 2020, followed by West Virginia ($249.81) and Massachusetts ($244.49). The states that spent the least overall had the smallest deficits: North Dakota ($15.69), Wyoming ($17.31) and Montana ($24.60).
- Spending and losses only tell part of the story, though, even if Massachusetts remained at the top of the list of states where residents spent the biggest share of their personal income on lotteries. Massachusetts residents still dominated — they spent $10.26 for every $1,000 of personal income in the state in 2020 — but Georgia ($8.29) and South Carolina ($8.27) joined the conversation for the first time.
- Knowing where their state lands on spending and payouts could be important to the 60% of Americans who play the lottery. A separate LendingTree survey found that 86% of lottery players buy scratch-offs, while 65% buy tickets. Amid last month’s Powerball craze, more than half of Americans (58%) say they’d prefer a lump-sum payment if they beat the odds and won the lottery.
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To determine consumers’ per-capita lottery spending, LendingTree researchers analyzed ticket sales (excluding commissions) in 2020 by state. Researchers then added the estimated commissions that participating stores receive for selling a winning ticket, estimating a rate of 5.5% based on data from Playport — an online gambling platform used by lottery retailers.
- To determine the amount consumers won per dollar spent, researchers divided lottery prize payouts per capita by lottery sales per capita.
- To determine the amount consumers lost, researchers subtracted lottery prize payouts per capita from the lottery sales per capita.
However, personal incomes in some states are low enough that the losses may be more meaningful — even if the total loss is lower. To determine which states can least afford lottery losses, researchers compared lottery sales to statewide personal incomes in 2020. Researchers looked at lottery sales and losses per $1,000 in personal income in the state.
The following states don’t have lotteries: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
LendingTree researchers analyzed lottery data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2020 Annual Survey of State Government Finance — the latest available. Researchers also used the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) revised 2020 estimates on state personal income.
Analysts estimated the amount spent by residents of each state on lotteries (annual ticket sales excluding commissions, plus an assumed 5.5% in commissions), prize payouts and net losses on a per-capita basis, as well as the amount spent, won and lost on lotteries per $1,000 in statewide personal income. Losses are defined as total estimated sales minus total prize payouts.
Population data for 2020 is from the BEA. The following states don’t have lotteries and were excluded from our analysis: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada and Utah.
Separately, LendingTree commissioned Qualtrics to conduct an online survey of 2,033 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 76 on Oct. 18, 2022. The survey was administered using a nonprobability-based sample, and quotas were used to ensure the sample base represented the overall population. All responses were reviewed by researchers for quality control.
We defined generations as the following ages in 2022:
- Generation Z: 18 to 25
- Millennial: 26 to 41
- Generation X: 42 to 56
- Baby boomer: 57 to 76
Which states have the biggest lottery losers?
Wpadington / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $32.24
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $16.55
Losses per capita: $15.69
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $40.97
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $23.66
Losses per capita: $17.31
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $58.62
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $34.02
Losses per capita: $24.6
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $71.23
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $41.87
Losses per capita: $29.36
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $63.83
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $32.42
Losses per capita: $31.41
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $101.34
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $68.92
Losses per capita: $32.42
gmc3101 / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $99.89
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $66.83
Losses per capita: $33.06
SeanPavonePhoto/istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $90.54
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $57.15
Losses per capita: $33.39
fotoguy22 / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $110.94
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $73.10
Losses per capita: $37.84
Jacob Boomsma / istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $93.78
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $55.88
Losses per capita: $37.90
Matt Bills / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $116.67
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $77.82
Losses per capita: $38.85
Jacob Boomsma
Lottery sales per capita: $116.28
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $74.70
Losses per capita: $41.58
JoeChristensen
Lottery sales per capita: $148.08
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $101.73
Losses per capita: $46.35
shanecotee
Lottery sales per capita: $124.18
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $77.76
Losses per capita: $46.42
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $145.93
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $99.43
Losses per capita: $46.50
Sean Pavone / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $109.40
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $59.83
Losses per capita: $49.57
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $185.57
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $121.96
Losses per capita: $63.61
doug_wertman/Flickr
Lottery sales per capita: $178.00
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $111.86
Losses per capita: $66.14
nata_rass/ istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $201.99
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $135.33
Losses per capita: $66.66
f11photo
Lottery sales per capita: $218.53
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $147.02
Losses per capita: $71.51
wokn / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $229.87
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $158.25
Losses per capita: $71.62
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $229.08
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $151.30
Losses per capita: $77.78
DenisTangneyJr
Lottery sales per capita: $244.79
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $172.72
Losses per capita: $72.07
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $239.26
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $158.57
Losses per capita: $80.69
Swarmcatcher
Lottery sales per capita: $267.64
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $178.96
Losses per capita: $88.68
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $274.82
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $184.66
Losses per capita: $90.16
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $238.90
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $146.35
Losses per capita: $92.55
IanDikhtiar
Lottery sales per capita: $249.80
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $153.44
Losses per capita: $96.36
tmersh
Lottery sales per capita: $293.03
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $193.21
Losses per capita: $99.82
espiegle/iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $285.91
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $180.69
Losses per capita: $105.22
DenisTangneyJr
Lottery sales per capita: $342.70
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $229.01
Losses per capita: $113.69
weaver1234
Lottery sales per capita: $345.25
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $231.45
Losses per capita: $113.80
SeanPavonePhoto/ iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $397.11
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $272.94
Losses per capita: $124.17
SeanPavonePhoto
Lottery sales per capita: $354.03
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $226.07
Losses per capita: $127.96
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $325.01
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $191.76
Losses per capita: $133.25
Pixabay.com
Lottery sales per capita: $366.63
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $231.16
Losses per capita: $135.47
DenisTangneyJr
Lottery sales per capita: $361.00
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $221.74
Losses per capita: $139.26
Ultima_Gaina / istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $408.51
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $264.89
Losses per capita: $143.62
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $429.51
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $284.37
Losses per capita: $145.14
SeanPavonePhoto
Lottery sales per capita: $207.97
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $40.49
Losses per capita: $167.48
istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $231.37
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $52.69
Losses per capita: $178.68
DC_Colombia / iStock
Lottery sales per capita: $455.93
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $239.11
Losses per capita: $216.82
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $805.30
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $560.81
Losses per capita: $244.49
DepositPhotos.com
Lottery sales per capita: $321.44
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $71.63
Losses per capita: $249.81
istockphoto
Lottery sales per capita: $429.88
Lottery prize payouts per capita: $148.25
Losses per capita: $281.63
This article originally appeared on LendingTree.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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