10 biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history!
With lottery fever once again gripping the nation as Mega Millions' $340 million jackpot continues to go unclaimed, what better time than now to explore the 10 largest lottery winnings in the country's history.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this list in the fact that many of the grand prize winnings are divided up between more than one winner, with 24 percent of all winnings withheld up front for taxes and another 13 percent due at the end of the year.
Here’s the list of the largest lottery prizes in U.S. history — and the people who won them.
1. $1.586 billion Powerball
Date: January 2016
Winners: 3
Marvin and Mae Acosta of Van Nuys, California
John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach, Florida
Ricky Singh, manager of this Jackson, Miss., RaceWay store, completes a patron's purchase next to a soon-to-be filled scratch-off lottery ticket dispenser, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
2. $1.537 billion Mega Millions
Date: October 2018
Winners: 1 (largest single-ticket win on record)
Location: Anonymous winner in Simpsonville, South Carolina
A woman fills out a Mega Millions lottery ticket on Oct. 19, 2018, in New York City. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP/Getty Images)
3. $768.4 million Powerball
Date: March 2019
Winner: 1
A single ticket sold in Wisconsin matched all six numbers in the Wednesday night drawing. Manuel Franco, 24, claimed the third-largest lottery prize in U.S. history after several weeks of the prize going unclaimed.
4. $758.7 million Powerball
Date: August 2017
Winner: Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts
A customer of this RaceWay Convenience Store in Jackson, Miss., exits past a Mississippi Lottery reminder sign, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
5. $656 million Mega Millions
Date: March 2012
Winners: 5
Merle and Patricia Butler of Red Bud, Illinois
One anonymous winner in Kansas and three anonymous winners in Maryland, who referred to themselves as "The Three Amigos."
6. $648 million Mega Millions
Date: December 2013
Winners: 2
Ira Currey of Stone Mountain, Georgia
Steve Tran of North California
7. $590.5 million Powerball
Date: May 2013
Winner: Gloria Mackenzie of Zephyrills, Florida
A handwritten sign taped over electronic numbers on a Powerball sign at a corner store in San Diego, California, Jan. 13, 2016. (REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX)
8. $587.5 million Powerball
Date: November 2012
Winners: 2
Cindy and Mark Hill of Camden Point, Missouri
Matthew Good of Foundation Hills, Arizona
9. $564 million Powerball
Date: February 2015
Winners: 3
Marie Homles of Shallotte, North Carolina
Both the Puerto Rico and Texas winner have remained anonymous
10. $559.7 million Powerball
Date: January 2018
Winners: 1
Location: Anonymous winner in New Hampshire