American lottery games offer the largest jackpots and winnings. That's why lottery fans from all over the world want to play Mega Millions and Powerball online.
On Friday, July 29, a single winner from an Illinois suburb claimed a $1.28 billion Mega Millions jackpot.
The $747 million jackpot was won by a user at a petrol station in Des Plaines, Illinois. That was the third largest lottery prize ever awarded.
We've collected a list of the biggest lottery prizes. Read on to find out more
1. $878 million, Anonymous, South Carolina, 2018
Mega Millions winner #1, who scooped up $1.5 billion, bought their ticket at a KC Mart in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The Mega Million results winner, who said she might not come forward if she won, informed lottery authorities that she let someone cut in front of her to buy a ticket. Even though her speedy pick was still randomly selected, the South Carolina lottery made a huge deal. The $877,8 million in one transaction meant the state's tax windfall of $61 million. Now you can also play Mega Millions online.
2. $778 million, FLL Wolverine Club, Michigan, 2021
A lottery syndicate of four people from Novi, Michigan, won $1.05 billion after purchasing a ticket at a Kroger. Although the total lump sum is $776.6 million, after federal and state taxes (24 percent federal, 4.25 percent state), the recipient received only $557 million.
3. $747 million, Anonymous, Illinois, 2022
Since no one had won in 29 drawings, the jackpot had risen to a whopping $1.28 billion. The Speedway petrol station that sold the winning ticket received a $500,000 bonus for their efforts.
4. $547 million, The Power Pack, Maryland, 2021
This group also won $731 million in Powerball, but they decided to choose the lump sum payout instead. The total amount received by the group (the exact number of whom was not disclosed) was $366.6 million after federal and state taxes were deducted. The Lonaconing, Maryland Coney Market is where the ticket was purchased.
5. $496 million, Scott Godfrey, California, 2021
Godfrey cashed in $496 million of his $699.8 million jackpot in one big sum. Only Godfrey's ticket, bought at an Albertsons in Morro Bay, California, contained the red Powerball. Five other tickets matched the other four numbers. Although the state of California does not take a cut of lottery winnings, it did get $78 million for school funding. Godfrey was required to come forward by California law.
6. $481 million, Mavis Wanczyk, Massachusetts, 2017
Wanczyk, who is 53 years old, won the $758.7 million Powerball jackpot. She had to inform her boss at the hospital where she worked that she would not be returning. The pinnacle of lottery fantasies, to be sure! After federal and state taxes, her take-home earnings were almost $356 million.
7. $477 million, Wisconsin, 2019; Manuel Franco
At barely 24, Franco is the youngest of the big winners. Franco had the most amusing press conference ever given by a lottery winner when he said he left work feeling lucky and then stopped at a Speedway petrol station in New Berlin, Wisconsin. "I was so relieved to see the (security) camera that I wanted to wink at it," Franco stated that he had less than $1,000 in his checking account. In 2021, the BBB warned about a scam in which con artists pretended to be Franco to trick victims into providing their bank account details by telling them they had won the chance to receive a portion of Franco's fortune.
TIP: Read also about the Emirates Draw Results in the UAE.
8. $378 million, Richard Wahl, New Jersey, 2018
As the sole winner of the $533 million Mega Millions jackpot, Wahl, a 47-year-old production manager at a food service plant, chose the lump sum payout. When questioned, he revealed that he had initially estimated his ticket's value at $1 million. In actuality, the value was $378 million. Wahl estimated that after paying federal, state, and municipal taxes, his take-home pay was almost $175 million.
9. $371 million, Gloria McKenzie, Florida, 2013
The oldest winner on this list is 84-year-old Gloria McKenzie, who won $590 million in a Powerball drawing but opted for a lump sum rather than the 30-year distribution option. Winner one claims she let someone cut her and won the lotto. McKenzie claimed in this instance that she did the cutting at a Publix store in the Tampa area. Five years later, McKenzie filed a lawsuit against her son Scott and his financial manager, alleging that they had misappropriated a large portion of her $278 million after taxes. In February of 2021, McKenzie passed away.
10. $352 million, Anonymous, New Hampshire, 2018
Winners have to show themselves in New Hampshire. It wasn't until 2018 that a Powerball winner claimed anonymity after taking the lump sum payout of $352 million. She won to the state supreme court.
Do you want to join the exclusive club of lotto millionaires? Buy the tickets online and check lucky lotto results and winning numbers to check if you won a fortune.
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