Record Lottery Jackpots

Table of contents:

• POWERBALL: CURRENT RECORD JACKPOT HOLDER
• MEGAMILLIONS: GUNNING FOR REVENGE
• EUROMILLIONS: LEADING EUROPE'S JACKPOTS
• EUROJACKPOT: THE VIKING WARRIOR 
• LARGEST ONLINE LOTTERY WIN
• SUPERENALOTTO: THE ITALIAN STALLION
• EL GORDO: THE BIGGEST HEAVYWEIGHT LOTTERY IN THE WORLD
• STEP INSIDE THE RING

It all comes down to this, a trans-Atlantic grudge fight – Europe versus the USA. We've got some hard-hitting jackpots, heavy-duty all-rounders, one seriously steel-jawed lotto from Italy and, to round off this gladiatorial deathmatch, we have The Spaniard – a real tough hombre that's so enormous he can easily grapple with all the other contenders at the same time.

Before taking a closer look at each lottery, here's a table with the record jackpots of each lottery:

So, who will come out on top? Well, as a referee the ultimate decision lies on you. Just remember, it's not just about the high jackpots, you'll also be judging on additional prize tiers and winning odds!

POWERBALL: CURRENT RECORD JACKPOT HOLDER

He's got the Power, and he's got plenty of... determination. This all-American beefcake muscled his way to the top on the 13^th of January 2016. PowerBall became the first lottery in history to top the billion mark. The final jackpot was worth $1.586 billion (£1.15 billion) and ended up being split between three winning tickets, from Florida, California and Tennessee.

Recently, this lotto also announced to have the third-largest cash value for a single ticket owner! On the 20^th of January 2021, the jackpot of $731.1 million was won in Maryland. It is worth $546.8 million, or approximately £398.73 million. The winning numbers were 40, 53, 60, 68, 69, and the Powerball was 22. However, the ticket holder hasn’t claimed the prize yet!

When we announced the changes to PowerBall that came in October 2015 we rightly predicted that PowerBall would come out on top. What we couldn't have done, however, is predict how fast, and how dramatically, the lottery would do so! Seems like it’s more than ready to fight the runner up…

• Record Jackpot: $1.586 billion (approx. £1.139 billion)
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 292,201,338
• Overall Prize Odds: 1 in 25
• Prize Tiers: 9

MEGAMILLIONS: GUNNING FOR REVENGE

Introducing MegaMillions, the former LLWC Jackpot Heavyweight Championship holder. This towering juggernaut enjoys the prestige of having the world's first and second-largest cash value per single ticket - $877.8 and $776.6 million respectively. This contender, therefore, is looking to stay as the winner! 

MegaMillions used to have the top spot too, until it was knocked out in dramatic style, when PowerBall took the title in January 2016. The record jackpot for MegaMillions has been $1.537 billion on October 23rd, 2018 with a cash value of $878 million. 

• Record Jackpot: $1.537 billion (approx. £1.104 million)
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 302,575,350
• Overall Prize Odds: 1 in 24
• Prize Tiers: 9

EUROMILLIONS: LEADING EUROPE'S JACKPOTS

A transnational lottery born in 2004 is also one of the big fighters in the game. It had its biggest win very recently on the 26^th of February 2021 with a record-breaking Jackpot of €210 Million won in Switzerland. So close to the Italian SuperEnalotto with a 209,2 Million jackpot in 2019! Nevertheless, EuroMillions is by far the leader in Europe’s biggest lottery winnings occupying 7 of the 8 top Jackpots.

Lottoland offer Millionaire which has the same structure and winning odds as EuroMillions, don’t lose your time fearing it and win it!

• Record Jackpot: €210 Million (approx. £182 million) 
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 139,838,160
• Overall Prize Odds: 1 in 13
• Prize Tiers: 13

EUROJACKPOT: THE VIKING WARRIOR

From the icy north comes EuroJackpot, another popular trans-European lottery eager to claim the European jackpot title for himself with jackpots that start at €10,000,000 and can roll over up to €90,000,000. EuroJackpot is particularly popular in Germany and Scandinavia, where the majority of his supporters reside. EuroJackpot's fan base is also continuing to grow, and month after month, he continues to gain some serious muscle. Indeed, it looks like this younger upstart could well eclipse his longer-running rival in the years to come as he continues to smash his own records, which was reset at €90 million in Germany on the 15th of January 2021!

• Record Jackpot: €90 million (approx. £79 million) 
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 95,344,200
• Overall Prize Odds: 1 in 26
• Prize Tiers: 12

LARGEST ONLINE LOTTERY WIN

In the summer of 2018, with just her second-ever Lottoland bet, 36-year-old cleaner Christina won an incredible €90 million (£79 million) jackpot betting on the outcome of EuroJackpot which made it to the record books!

Although less well-known in the UK, EuroJackpot is Europe’s second most popular lottery draw and takes place every Friday night in Helsinki.

Choosing 5 numbers from 1-50 and 2 further numbers from 1-10, Christina won the lotto’s maximum jackpot after effortlessly placing a bet on her phone. Little did she know that she would soon be winning the world’s largest-ever payout for a bet made online. Read more about Christina's record win at Lottoland!

SUPERENALOTTO: THE ITALIAN STALLION

Standing proud and defiantly independent we have the Italian lottery, SuperEnalotto. This Italian Stallion enjoys the distinction of having the largest jackpots of any national lottery in the world. He's also the world's toughest lotto, more than any other lottery the odds are really stacked against you. So be careful, stepping into the ring with him is not for lightweights! But for those who have the courage, the potential rewards are huge. The current record jackpot of €209.2 million hit in August 2019 far exceeds trans-national lottery EuroJackpot and in Europe, only the very recent EuroMillions jackpot has overcome it. The Italian lottery, therefore, remains a great option to bet on due to its enormous prizes! 

• Record Jackpot: €209.2 million (approx. £181.5 million)
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 622,614,630
• Overall Prize Odds: 1 in 327
• Prize Tiers: 6

EL GORDO: THE BIGGEST HEAVYWEIGHT LOTTERY IN THE WORLD

In terms of prize payouts, Spain's gargantuan El Gordo Christmas Lottery is the reigning champion with an annual prize pool worth billions. Since 1812, El Gordo has been delighting Spaniards and enchanting lottery fans in the world. In 2020, El Gordo paid out a total of £2.1 billion in prizes – which, I think you'll agree, is a staggering amount of money. 

The reason for El Gordo's immense size is simple – Spaniards go absolutely loco for this lottery each Christmas. Indeed, you'll be hard-pressed to find a person in Spain who doesn't enter El Gordo at Christmas time. The 22nd December draw of the Spanish Christmas Lottery, or ‘Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad’, is like a national event. Spaniards stay glued to their screens awaiting the announcement of "El Gordo" or "the fat one" – the biggest prize of them all.

Unlike the other contestants in this event, El Gordo is a raffle, rather than a lotto. Tickets for the main draw (or betslips at Lottoland) are printed in series of 172 so many people will end up with the same numbers. Also, a full ticket costs £249.99 and consists of multiple "tenths" which is why friends and family members tend to form mini syndicates where the price of a full ticket, and any subsequent wins, are equally split.

Of course, the El Gordo Christmas lottery, like Christmas itself, only comes once a year!

• Max Prize Pool: €2.4 billion (approx. £2.1 billion)
• El Gordo Total Prize: €688 million (approx. £630 million)
• El Gordo Individual Prize: €4 million (approx. £3.67 million)
• Jackpot Odds: 1 in 100,000
• Prize Tiers: 17

STEP INSIDE THE RING

So, have you got what it takes to go up against the biggest lotteries in the world? The odds may be stacked against you but the rewards if you win are astronomical. Don't forget every week underdog contenders take on these lottery titans and achieve the seemingly impossible - so touch gloves, return to your corner and at the sound of the bell pick your winning numbers! DING! DING!

Last updated: May 2021