Powerball Winners

A single ticket holder from California won a record-breaking jackpot worth $2.04 billion. The record amount had built up over more than three months, with the historic draw actually delayed by several hours following unprecedented demand for tickets. It was revealed that the lucky ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena. The winner was Edwin Castro, who declined to speak to the media but had to have his identity revealed due to California’s public record laws. He took the cash option of $997.6 million.

The second-largest jackpot of all time was won in California after having rolled over 35 times. The winning ticket was purchased at a Midway Market and Liquor in Frazier Park in Kern County. A group of winners, represented by Theodorus Struyck, came forward to collect the jackpot, which had a cash value of $774.1 million. It was not disclosed how many players had teamed up to buy the ticket.

Following a run of 19 consecutive rollovers, the Powerball jackpot reached $1.58 billion. The third-largest prize in U.S. lottery history was finally landed by John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith of Melbourne Beach in Florida and Marvin and Mae Acosta from Chino Hills, California. All three players opted to take the cash lump sum of $327.8 million each.

The jackpot jumped up from $1.131 billion to $1.325 billion for this big draw. A player from Oregon matched all the numbers to set a new record as the state’s biggest winner. It was revealed at the time that the ticket was sold in Portland, and the prize was soon claimed by Cheng and Duanpen Saephan, and Laiza Chao. Cheng, who had been battling cancer for eight years, said he would find himself a good doctor.

The fourth-largest Powerball prize was won by a single ticket holder from California. The winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market on Wall Street in downtown Los Angeles. The lucky player was a lady called Yanira Alvarez, who claimed her prize in October 2023. The California Lottery however only announced her identity in March 2024. The Powerball winner chose the lump sum payment of $558.1 million.

For the first time in Powerball history, the jackpot was won on New Year’s Day in 2024, and it also happened to be one of the largest-ever payouts after a two-and-a-half-month stretch without a winner. It was revealed that the lucky winners were a group called ‘The Breakfast Club’ from Michigan, who purchased their ticket at the Food Castle in Grand Blanc, just south of Flint. They took the cash option of $425.2 million.

Manuel Franco, from West Allis in Wisconsin, announced that he wanted to ‘help out the world’ after matching the full winning line on March 27th 2019. The winning ticket was one of ten he bought from a Speedway on Beloit Road in New Berlin, Milwaukee. He was aged 24 when he won and was tempted by the annuity, but eventually decided to take the cash option of $477 million.

Massachusetts resident Mavis Wanczyk became one of the biggest winners in lottery history when she matched the numbers required to collect $758.7 million. The 53-year-old, who instantly quit her job after finding out about her win, bought her entry from a gas station in the town of Chicopee and opted to take the cash option of $480.5 million.

This jackpot, with a cash value of $407.2 million, was won in the state of Washington. The Evergreen State had previously only had one Powerball jackpot winner. Auburn’s Becky Bell claimed the cash but declined to speak to the media. The Washington Lottery revealed that she had bought an extra Quick Pick after seeing the jackpot estimated at $747 million, as she worked for aircraft company Boeing.

‘The Power Pack’ from Maryland claimed the Old Line State’s biggest-ever lottery prize, coming forward four months after the drawing. They had purchased their winning ticket from Coney Market in Lonaconing, and insisted their new-found wealth would not have a major impact on their lifestyles. They said the priority was to look after their families for generations to come.