PowerBall Record Jackpot: Live Updates

Table of contents:

• WHAT IS POWERBALL?
• POWERBALL RECORD JACKPOT WINNERS
• HOW TO BET ON POWERBALL FROM THE UK
• HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO BET ON POWERBALL IN THE UK?
• WHAT ARE THE ODDS OF WINNING POWERBALL? 
• WHAT HAPPENS IF I WIN POWERBALL?

What is Powerball?

Powerball is one of the largest lotteries in the United States and also one of the most famous lotteries in the world. The reason for its success is simple: 6 of the 10 biggest jackpots ever have been paid out by Powerball, including the staggering $1.586 BILLION record jackpot which was won in January 2016. We have more details on some of those fortunate Powerball winners below.

Powerball Record Jackpot Winners

A 2016 study found that only 0.01% of families in the US in 2012 had a level of wealth of more than $100 million. Powerball jackpot winners have the chance to join that exclusive club as there have been around 100 Powerball top prizes to date which have exceeded that figure.

The world record Powerball jackpot stands at an awesome $1.586 Billion and was shared by three ticket holders in January 2016. Because the total jackpot was divided three ways it means there have been larger single-ticket winners of this American giant and the three winning couples have to settle for 'only' sixth place on our list. The table below shows the total jackpot value and the cash value, which is the jackpot value should the winner choose the lump sum payment option as opposed to the annuity option. 

1ST BIGGEST JACKPOT: $768.4 MILLION

This big jackpot was hit in March 2019, when a lone ticket holder won a Powerball jackpot worth $768.4 million before taxes! The 24-year-old Manuel Franco had less than $1,000 in his bank account when he claimed the enormous jackpot win, and although he went into work the next day, he quit at the end of that day and won't be going back.

2ND BIGGEST JACKPOT: $758.7 MILLION

Mavis Wanczyk from Massachusetts held the record for the largest individual win when she claimed the $758.7 million jackpot in August 2017. The 53-year-old had hardly let the news of her win settle in before she had phoned her employers to hand in her notice after 32 years.

3RD BIGGEST JACKPOT: $731.1 MILLION

At the beginning of 2021, another individual jackpot record was reached with PowerBall. After the jackpot rolled over from the end of August 2020, finally, on the 20^th of January 2021, a ticket sold in Maryland resulted to be the winner of an individual prize of $731,1 million, becoming the third biggest individual prize of PowerBall and the 5^th biggest ever! We don’t know the winner's name, but we are so happy for their big prize win!

4TH BIGGEST JACKPOT: $699.8 MILLION

The most recent win to make this list occurred on October 4^th, 2021. The ticket was purchased at an Albertson's grocery store in Morro Bay, a scenic town on the California coast near San Luis Obispo, with a jackpot of $699.8 million. The lucky winner’s identity has yet to be revealed but will have to be revealed at some point if the winner is to collect the winnings as California law requires winners to reveal their identity. The winner has 180 days to claim the prize.

5TH BIGGEST JACKPOT: $590.5 MILLION

A gesture of goodwill cost someone $590.5 million in Zephyrhills, Florida, a town of 13,000 people near Tampa. A friendly shopper at a Publix supermarket let 84-year-old Gloria MacKenzie in front of him or her which resulted in mother of four, grandmother and great-grandmother MacKenzie, winning the jackpot. A neighbour of MacKenzie declared “it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. She was always pleasant and smiling”. Hopefully, karma will bless the person who let her in front of him/her and will receive some sort of positive energy, although winning $590.5 million would be hard to beat! Gloria spent some of her winnings upgrading from a small apartment to a beach-side apartment and made a $2 million donation to the local high school, but since then has remained out of the limelight. 

How to Bet on PowerBall from the UK

To place a bet on the US PowerBall lottery you must choose 5 numbers out of the 69 available and an extra number, called the Powerball, between 01 and 26. To win the PowerBall jackpot you must get all 5 numbers and that extra Powerball correct.

To make the game even more exciting, there is the option to activate PowerPlay, which is a multiplier that can be added to your bet and which doubles the second prize if you win it and multiplies by up to 10 times the prizes of categories 3 to 9.

In addition to the first prize, there are another 8 categories of prizes, making the chances of you winning some prize, even if it is only a return on your investment, quite reasonable.

How Much Does it Cost to Bet on Powerball in the UK?

Due to the enormous size that Powerball jackpots can reach, the cost of a line bet is not fixed as with the majority of other lotteries at Lottoland. Even giant European lotteries have fixed bet costs since they are capped at a certain level, but there is no limit as to how big the Powerball record jackpot could get. For that reason, the cost of a line bet can potentially increase from £3 to £6 in cases where the jackpot is higher than $500 million, at Lottoland's discretion.

What are the Odds of Winning Powerball? 

Although the chances of winning the first prize of PowerBall are pretty steep - 1 in 292,201,338 - the chances of winning one of the 9 categories of prizes are quite good, with much more manageable odds of 1 in 25!

For example, by hitting only the extra ball, Powerball, you win a category 9 prize, which is worth about $4 (approximately £2.60).

What Happens if I Win Powerball?

If you are fortunate enough to win a prize by betting on PowerBall with Lottoland, winnings will automatically be credited to your account. Once the money is in your Lottoland account you can simply withdraw your winnings by one of the available withdrawal methods. We will contact you by telephone if you manage to bag one of the highest tier prizes.

Lottoland replicates the payout structure of the Official Lottery Draws in the USA and for this reason, the total prize is reduced by 38% to make allowances for the tax official winners in tiers 1 to 3 would have to pay. Lottoland may pay out the winnings in prize category 1 over 30 years (the “Annuity Option”). The lump sum method will be paid out at 60% of the total value of the annuity amount.

Thanks to its unique insurance model, Lottoland guarantees to pay out even the largest of Powerball jackpots. 

Go here to try your luck and place a bet on the record-breaking PowerBall lottery with Lottoland from the UK!

*Tier 1 winning bets on the US PowerBall are paid out as 30-year annuity or discounted lump sum at Lottoland’s election, and Tiers 1 – 3 are also subject to 38% reduction as per T&C's.

Last updated: November 2021