The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot may be 1 in 292 million, but that doesn’t stop 60% of Americans from buying lottery tickets. Powerball is one of the most popular US lottery games, along with Mega Millions. Since it started in 1992, Americans—disproportionately lower-income men of color—have placed their bets in states that sell tickets (Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah don’t participate).
Five lucky Powerball winners scored jackpots between $160 million and nearly $2 billion this year. With one final drawing left this year, Americans have a chance, albeit very slim, to win $760 million.
Here’s a look at the five Powerball jackpots this year.
🥇$1.765 billion
A mystery player bought the winning Powerball ticket at a liquor store in Frazier Park, California, in October. The ticket was worth close to $1.8 billion, the second-highest sum in the game’s history. Midway Market & Liquor, which is co-owned by two brothers, received $1 million as a retail bonus for selling the jackpot ticket. The winner’s identity is still not public, and they may or may not have come forward to claim their immediate cash prize of $774 million or the full jackpot amount in annuitized payments.
🥈$1.08 billion
The second-highest jackpot of 2023 was a nearly $1.1 billion ticket purchased by another mystery buyer. The winner bought the ticket in July at Las Palmitas Mini Market in downtown Los Angeles. The owner of the mini market also was awarded $1 million.
🥉$754.6 million
Becky Bell purchased the grand prize Powerball ticket in February while shopping with her daughter at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Auburn, Washington. Bell, who works as a supply chain analyst for Boeing, didn’t realize she had won the draw until the next day. “I’ve never won more than $20 in my life. So you can imagine my shock when I realized what had just happened,” Bell told Washington’s Lottery in March. “I just broke down and cried.”
Bell’s ticket was the largest sum ever won in the state of Washington. The Fred Meyer store was given $50,000 from the lottery commission but donated it to a local food bank.
💰$252.6 million
An unknown player in Ohio scored a jackpot of $253 million in April after purchasing the winning ticket at a convenience store in Macedonia. The mystery winner claimed the prize through an anonymous trust, aptly named The Crazy Luck Trust, represented by Akron attorney John Krajewski. The gas station, GetGo, won $100,000 and shared the proceeds with its employees and a regional food bank. They also gave free tater tots to customers for a week.
💵 $162.6 million
A rural Virginia resident bought a winning Powerball ticket worth $163 million in March at a family-owned gas station, Gill Brothers, in the town of Dublin. The winner claimed their prize but remains anonymous. The owners of Gill Brothers won $50,000 as a bonus for selling the ticket.
⚠️ A warning to all lottery-winner hopefuls
Powerball winners take home much less than the actual jackpot if they want their money right away. If someone wins the next drawing on Dec. 30, they can opt to receive the $760 million in separate payments over 30 years, or take home a cash prize that’s about half that value. And that’s all before taxes. Jackpot winners selecting the cash option could pay up to 37% in federal taxes, in addition to any state income taxes.
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