How lucky is your home state when it comes to the lottery?
While there has been a ton of buzz around the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots recently, you may be curious to see how your state stacks up against the other states in the country when it comes to big lottery wins. We are breaking it down for you right here, as we will give you the biggest lottery jackpots won for each state, so find out below.
Alabama
There is currently no state lottery in Alabama, but state legislators have been working to move a bill forward to establish lottery and casino gambling in the state.
Alaska
No lottery in the state of Alaska.
Arizona - $293.8 million
For Arizona, the biggest jackpot win happened on November 28, 2012. It was a Powerball drawing, and the lucky winner was Matthew Good, who split the $587.5 million jackpot with another lucky winner from Missouri.
Arkansas - $177 million
The biggest lottery jackpot for the state of Arkansas was a Mega Millions drawing that took place on March 31, 2017. The jackpot was $177 million, and the lucky winner took the lump sum payment, or about $73 million.
California - $2.04 billion
The largest lottery jackpot ever was in November 2022 for the Powerball drawing, which climbed to $2.04 billion. The big winner was Edwin Castro of Altadena, who opted for a lump sum payment of $997.6 million.
Colorado - $133.2 million
It was a $133.2 million Powerball win for 67-year-old Judy Finchum in September 2017. She had been playing the exact same lottery numbers for 30 years before winning the biggest lottery jackpot in Colorado.
Connecticut - $254.2 million
Three businessmen from Greenwich claimed the biggest jackpot in Connecticut. In November 2011, they won the Powerball jackpot for $254.2 million.
Delaware - $214.7 million
Those office lottery pools pay off sometimes! An anonymous group of 33 co-workers at a printing company in Seaford claimed the biggest lottery win for Delaware. The $214.7 Powerball win happened on October 12, 2004.
Florida - $1.6 billion
The biggest Mega Millions jackpot in history made its way all the way up to $1.6 billion. The extremely lucky winning ticket was sold in Neptune Beach in August 2023.
Georgia - $318 million
In December 2013, Ira Curry of Stone Mountain won the $636 million Mega Millions jackpot. They split the jackpot with another lucky winner in California, each winning $318 million.
Hawaii
There is no state lottery in Hawaii.
Idaho - $220.3 million
The biggest jackpot win in Idaho lottery history was in May 2005 when Brad Duke of Star won $220.3 million. The big win happened while he was playing Powerball.
Illinois - $1.34 billion
The biggest lottery win for Illinois happened to be the fourth-largest Mega Millions jackpot ever. The two lucky winners purchased the winning ticket together and agreed to split the $1.34 billion if they won — and they stayed true to their word, splitting the $780.5 million pre-tax cash lump sum.
Indiana - $536 million
The biggest lottery win in Indiana history came in July 2016. The lucky Indiana family won $536 million and remained anonymous to protect the well-being of their children.
Iowa - $343.9 million
The largest lottery prize ever won in Iowa was in October 2018 for the $687.8 million Powerball jackpot. Lerynne West, a single mom of three and grandmother to six, split the jackpot with another winner in New York City. West opted for the $198.1 lump sum payment.
Kansas - $218.6 million
The March 2012 Mega Millions jackpot of $656 million helped give Kansas its biggest lottery winner. There were three lucky winners for that jackpot, with other winning tickets being sold in Maryland and Illinois. The Kansas winner remained anonymous and was planning on enjoying their retirement after their $218.6 million win.
Kentucky - $128.6 million
The biggest lottery win in Kentucky happened by mistake. Rob Anderson meant to purchase three $1 lottery tickets, but the clerk accidentally gave him one $3 Quick Pick Powerball ticket. He kept it and won the $128.6 million jackpot in December 2009. We are hoping he gave something to that clerk for the error!
Louisiana - $191.1 million
The biggest lottery win in Louisiana took place in October 2017 for the $191.1 million Powerball drawing. A three-member family partnership won the big jackpot, and an attorney representing them claimed the prize in December 2017.
Maine - $1.35 billion
Friday the 13th was lucky for one Maine Lottery player in 2023. The lucky winner, who chose to remain anonymous, was the only winning ticket for the January 2023 Mega Millions drawing. This was Maine's first Mega Millions jackpot winner, and they opted for the pre-tax cash payment of $723.6 million.
Maryland - $731.1 million
It took the winners four months to claim their jackpot, but “The Power Pack,” the nickname the anonymous group of winners gave themselves, was ecstatic to claim their $546.8 million lump sum cash option in May 2021 after winning the Powerball jackpot in January 2021.
Massachusetts - $758.7 million
Mavis Wanczyk, a 53-year-old hospital worker from Chicopee, won the $758.7 Powerball jackpot in August 2017. At the time, Wanczyk's win was the largest payout ever awarded to a single ticket. She took the cash option and got $480.5 million.
Michigan - $1.05 billion
Another lottery club win, but this time in Michigan. The four-member Oakland County lottery club won the March 2021 Mega Millions jackpot, which reached $1.05 billion.
Minnesota - $228.9 million
A couple in Burnsville said they'd only be able to retire if they won the lottery. In August 2011, they did just that, winning $228.9 million playing a Quick Pick ticket for the Powerball. Needless to say, the couple was able to retire shortly after the state's biggest win.
Mississippi - $4 million
Mississippi approved the lottery in their state in 2018, with the first scratch-off tickets being sold in 2019, and then draw games began in 2020, including Mega Millions and Powerball sales. The state's biggest lottery win came in January 2023, when one lucky player won $4 million playing the Mega Millions.
Missouri - $293.8 million
The biggest lottery win for Missouri came in November 2012, when a Dearborn couple split the $587.5 million Powerball jackpot. The other winning ticket was sold in Arizona, as mentioned above. They took the lump sum option and ended up winning $193 million after taxes.
Montana - $48.5 million
It almost didn't happen for these co-workers in Helena, as one of them tore up their June 2010 Powerball ticket, thinking they lost. However, she then determined she was looking at the wrong numbers and pieced the ticket back together to find out they were winners. They split the $96.9 million jackpot with another winning ticket from Ohio that night.
Nebraska - $365 million
Eight co-workers from a ham processing plant stepped forward in February 2006 to claim the biggest lottery jackpot in Nebraska's history. At that time, it was the largest lottery prize ever won in the United States.
Nevada
The Nevada constitution bans lottery games. However, Nevada lawmakers passed a bill that would change the constitution and bring a lottery to the state. The Nevada Legislature would need to pass the same bill in 2025 to move the bill forward. If they do that, then it would be placed on the 2026 ballot, and residents of the state would have to pass it in order to change the constitution and allow a lottery in the state.
New Hampshire - $559.7 million
It was a battle in the courts for this New Hampshire winner. The anonymous winner won the $559.7 million Powerball jackpot in January 2018. She remains anonymous, took the lump sum payment of $352 million, and donated a big chunk of change to nonprofit organizations.
New Jersey - $1.13 billion
The first Mega Millions winner of 2024 also happened to bring the biggest lottery win to the state. On March 26, 2024, one ticket from New Jersey matched all the white balls 7, 11, 22, 29, and 38, plus the gold Mega Ball 4 to win the huge jackpot. No one has stepped forward to claim the prize yet.
New Mexico - $206.9 million
A group of nine friends were together for a birthday party when they decided to pool their money together and buy some Powerball tickets for the September 2014 drawing, which happened to be two hours from the time they purchased the tickets! It worked out, as the friends won the $206.9 million jackpot that night.
New York - $476 million
In April 2023, Johnnie Taylor, 71, of Queens, won the state-high jackpot playing Mega Millions. Taylor opted for the lump sum payment and got $157.3 million after state and federal taxes.
North Carolina - $344.6 million
Maybe you should play those lucky numbers from your next fortune cookie? That is what 66-year-old Charles Jackson Jr. did in June 2019, and he ended up winning the $344.6 million Powerball jackpot.
North Dakota - $3 million
The biggest jackpot won in North Dakota has been $3 million, which has happened twice in the state. Both wins came from playing Mega Millions, with the drawings taking place in May 2016 and March 2021.
Ohio - $375 million
Another Christmas miracle for a lottery winner, this time in Ohio. The largest jackpot won in Ohio was in December 2019, with the winner claiming it under “The Great Hope Trust.”
Oklahoma - $105.8 million
The biggest jackpot sold in Oklahoma was for the Powerball drawing in June 2007. The winning couple opted for the lump sum payout, getting $33.3 million. The win came just one year after Oklahoma joined Powerball.
Oregon - $340 million
In October 2005, a couple in Oregon and their daughter and son-in-law all chipped in money and bought $40 worth of Powerball tickets. The family took the lump sum cash payment option and won $110 million after taxes.
Pennsylvania - $516 million
It was a $516 million win for the “Peace of Mind Trust” in Pennsylvania. While the Mega Millions winners kept their names anonymous, the five-member group took the lump sum option and took home $254.2 million after taxes.
Rhode Island - $336.4 million
It was rainbow sherbet and Powerball winnings for an 81-year-old woman in Rhode Island back in February 2012. Louise White purchased the winning Powerball ticket after stopping to get some rainbow sherbet. She ended up with the winning ticket for the $336.4 million jackpot, which she claimed under The Rainbow Sherbet Trust.
South Carolina - $1.54 billion
The March 2019 Mega Millions jackpot winner, who remained anonymous, was on a “scenic drive” through Greenville when she purchased the winning ticket. She took some time to turn in her winning ticket, but she chose the lump sum payment and got $877.8 million in October 2019.
South Dakota - $232.1 million
The biggest jackpot won in South Dakota was in May 2009, when a 23-year-old cowboy won the Powerball jackpot. With the winnings, he purchased his own ranch, and in September 2020, he listed the ranch and sold it for $37 million, more than double what he paid.
Tennessee - $528.8 million
What do you do when you are one of the three winning tickets for the $1.59 billion Powerball jackpot? Go on the Today Show, of course. That is what John and Lisa Robinson did, even before turning their ticket into the Tennessee Lottery. They turned it in hours after their TV appearance and took the lump sum option. They got $327 million before taxes.
Texas - $360 million
Another trust, this time Blue Yucca, claimed the Mega Millions winning jackpot from October 2023. They opted for the cash option and received $156.9 million before taxes.
Utah
No state lottery in Utah.
Vermont - $366.7 million
The first Powerball jackpot win in Vermont was a big one! In June 2022, an anonymous person bought the winning $366.7 million ticket in Middlebury, and they claimed their winnings in August 2022.
Virginia - $239 million
A retired truck driver in Virginia won the state's biggest lottery jackpot in February 2004. The Mega Millions jackpot was for $239 million, and the lucky winner said he bought the winning ticket at a store just a few miles from his home.
Washington - $754.6 million
In February 2023, Auburn resident Becky Bell won the Powerball jackpot, and she can thank her employer for the win. She worked for Boeing for 36 years and saw a sign that the Powerball jackpot was $747 million at the time. She took it as a sign, as they had just delivered the last 747 jumbo jet that day. It paid off, as she ended up walking away with $309 million after taxes.
West Virginia - $314.9 million
It was definitely a good holiday for Andrew “Jack” Whittaker in December 2002, as he won the Powerball jackpot on Christmas Day. Whittaker, the owner of a sewage company, was worth $17 million before his winnings. He opted for the lump sum payment and received $113 million.
Wisconsin - $768.4 million
A life-changing moment for a 24-year-old Wisconsin resident, as Manuel Franco won the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot in March 2019. At the time, it was the third-largest lottery win in U.S. history. Franco purchased the winning ticket at a Speedway gas station.
Wyoming - $5 million
The largest lottery jackpot win in Wyoming happened in March 2016, when one lucky person won $5 million playing the Mega Millions. This was the first Mega Millions lottery win for the state after launching Mega Millions in 2014.
There have also been some big, multi-million dollar scratch-off jackpot winners, so check those out here! Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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