Edwin Castro, California
The single 2022 Powerball ticket carried the largest advertised jackpot ever. Castro chose the $997.6m cash option before taxes rather than the full annuity value.
How the records are compared
Headline jackpot first — with the important differences explained
A $2 billion US jackpot, a €250 million EuroMillions prize and a £195 million UK win do not work in exactly the same way. Rather than create a misleading currency-converted league table, this guide keeps each prize in the currency in which it was advertised and separates the major US, European and UK records.
Advertised jackpotThe headline prize shown by the lottery at the time of the winning draw.
Shared prizes flaggedWe say when a jackpot was divided between tickets, groups or system shares.
Cash option kept separateUS cash values are not used to replace the advertised jackpot in the rankings.
Names only when publicAnonymous winners stay anonymous; we do not speculate about identities.
At a glance
The four record numbers worth knowing
These figures explain most of the modern record conversation without mixing unlike payout systems into one artificial ranking.
World / US record $2.04 billion
Powerball, California
One winning ticket on 7 November 2022. Edwin Castro later chose the $997.6 million cash option before taxes.
European jackpot record €371.133 million
SuperEnalotto, Italy
Won on 16 February 2023 through a system entry divided into 90 winning shares.
EuroMillions record €250 million
Three wins in 2025
Austria in March, Ireland in June and France in August all produced €250 million jackpot wins.
UK record £195.707 million
EuroMillions, UK
An anonymous UK ticket-holder won the record prize on 19 July 2022.
2026
The newest billion-dollar winner: Illinois, 12 August 2026
A single Illinois ticket matched all six Powerball numbers to win a $1.04 billion advertised jackpot, with a $450.5 million cash value before taxes. It was the largest Powerball prize won in 2026 and the eighth-largest Powerball jackpot in the game’s history at the time of the draw.
United States
The 10 biggest US lottery jackpots
Powerball and Mega Millions dominate the US record books. These are advertised jackpot values, not the lower cash options and not after-tax proceeds.
| Rank | Advertised jackpot | Game | Date | Winning ticket(s) | State(s) | What stands out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2.04 billion | Powerball | 7 Nov 2022 | 1 | California | World-record advertised jackpot; Edwin Castro chose the $997.6m cash value. |
| 2 | $1.817 billion | Powerball | 24 Dec 2025 | 1 | Arkansas | Anonymous winner; $834.9m cash option before taxes. |
| 3 | $1.7874 billion | Powerball | 6 Sep 2025 | 2 | Missouri & Texas | The jackpot was split between two winning tickets. |
| 4 | $1.765 billion | Powerball | 11 Oct 2023 | 1 group ticket | California | Theodorus Struyck was publicly named as representative of the winning group. |
| 5 | $1.602 billion | Mega Millions | 8 Aug 2023 | 1 | Florida | Still the Mega Millions record jackpot. |
| 6 | $1.586 billion | Powerball | 13 Jan 2016 | 3 | California, Florida & Tennessee | A landmark jackpot split across three tickets. |
| 7 | $1.537 billion | Mega Millions | 23 Oct 2018 | 1 | South Carolina | A single-ticket jackpot with the winner remaining private. |
| 8 | $1.348 billion | Mega Millions | 13 Jan 2023 | 1 | Maine | One of Mega Millions’ four jackpots above $1.3bn. |
| 9 | $1.337 billion | Mega Millions | 29 Jul 2022 | 1 | Illinois | A single Illinois ticket landed the full jackpot. |
| 10 | $1.326 billion | Powerball | 6 Apr 2024 | 1 shared group | Oregon | Cheng “Charlie” Saephan, his wife and a friend shared the prize. |
The $1.04 billion Illinois Powerball win on 12 August 2026 is a top-ten Powerball jackpot,
but it does not displace the ten largest combined US Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots listed above.
Europe
Europe’s biggest modern jackpot records
European games are better compared in their original euro or sterling values. The table below highlights the largest verified jackpots rather than converting historical prizes using today’s exchange rates.
| Jackpot | Game | Country | Date | Winner structure | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| €371,133,424.51 | SuperEnalotto | Italy | 16 Feb 2023 | System entry, 90 winning shares | Largest jackpot in SuperEnalotto history and a European record; roughly €4.1m per share before applicable deductions. |
| €250 million | EuroMillions | France | 19 Aug 2025 | Five friends | Third €250m EuroMillions jackpot of 2025 and France’s record EuroMillions win. |
| €250 million | EuroMillions | Ireland | 17 Jun 2025 | Family syndicate | Largest National Lottery jackpot ever won in Ireland. |
| €250 million | EuroMillions | Austria | 28 Mar 2025 | Single online player | First time the EuroMillions €250m record level was won. |
| €240 million | EuroMillions | Austria | 8 Dec 2023 | Single online player | The previous EuroMillions record before the cap moved to €250m. |
| €230 million / £195.707m | EuroMillions | United Kingdom | 19 Jul 2022 | Single UK ticket | The UK’s all-time National Lottery record in sterling. |
The €371.1 million SuperEnalotto figure was one jackpot but not one person’s payout: the winning system was divided into 90 shares.
EuroMillions’ €250 million wins, by contrast, were each attached to one winning entry, although the Irish and French entries were group wins.
United Kingdom
The 10 biggest UK lottery wins
Every entry in the current UK top ten is a EuroMillions jackpot. The March 2026 £181.07 million win is now firmly in third place, while the £195.707 million record from July 2022 still stands.
| UK rank | Prize | Date | Winner / publicity | Game | Record note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | £195,707,000 | 19 Jul 2022 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | Current UK National Lottery record. |
| 2 | £184,262,899.10 | 10 May 2022 | Joe & Jess Thwaite | EuroMillions | Largest publicly named UK jackpot winners. |
| 3 | £181,073,415.70 | 10 Mar 2026 | UK ticket-holder; identity not made public | EuroMillions | Biggest UK lottery win of 2026 so far. |
| 4 | £177,033,699.20 | 26 Nov 2024 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | Largest UK jackpot of 2024. |
| 5 | £171,815,297.80 | 23 Sep 2022 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | One of three enormous UK EuroMillions wins in 2022. |
| 6 | £170,221,000 | 8 Oct 2019 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | Held the UK record before the 2022 jackpots. |
| 7 | £161,653,000 | 12 Jul 2011 | Colin & Chris Weir | EuroMillions | A defining early UK EuroMillions record. |
| 8 | £148,656,000 | 10 Aug 2012 | Adrian & Gillian Bayford | EuroMillions | One of the best-known publicly named UK wins. |
| 9 | £123,458,008 | 11 Jun 2019 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | Single UK winning ticket. |
| 10 | £122,550,350.80 | 2 Apr 2021 | Anonymous UK ticket-holder | EuroMillions | Rounds out the current £120m-plus UK top ten. |
Winner stories
Five record wins that explain how different “winning big” can look
The headline number is only the first part of the story. Who shared it, whether they went public and how the payout worked can change the picture completely.
Anonymous Arkansas winner
The Christmas Eve 2025 winner remained anonymous and chose the $834.9m cash option before tax withholdings.
90 SuperEnalotto shares
Europe’s biggest headline jackpot did not create one €371m individual winner. A system entry spread the prize across 90 winning shares.
Five friends in France
A group of five long-time friends won France’s record EuroMillions jackpot on 19 August 2025, the third €250m EuroMillions win that year.
Anonymous UK ticket-holder
The July 2022 winner chose not to go public, so the biggest UK National Lottery win remains attached to a prize figure rather than a public winner story.
UK winner, March 2026
The ticket-holder came forward after the 10 March draw, but no public identity is used here. The win sits third in the UK record table.
Jackpot versus payout
Why the biggest jackpot is not always the biggest amount in the bank
Lottery record tables are easiest to understand when the advertised prize, cash option, tax treatment and shared ownership are kept separate.
US jackpots are usually advertised as annuities
Powerball and Mega Millions winners can normally choose between the full advertised annuity and a lower lump-sum cash value. Both are quoted before applicable US taxes.
UK National Lottery prizes are different
The initial UK National Lottery prize is not taxed. If the money is later invested, income or gains produced from it can be taxed under the normal rules.
A shared jackpot can create very different fortunes
A $1.787bn Powerball jackpot split between two tickets is not the same as one person receiving $1.787bn. The €371.1m SuperEnalotto record is an even clearer example because it was divided into 90 shares.
Continue exploring
What comes after the headline jackpot?
Record wins naturally lead to bigger questions: privacy, investing, spending, security and how the odds compare in the first place.
Questions answered
Biggest lottery winners FAQs
Quick answers to the questions that matter when comparing record jackpots across different countries and games.
What is the biggest lottery jackpot ever won?
The largest advertised lottery jackpot verified in this guide is the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot won by one California ticket in the 7 November 2022 drawing.
Who won the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot?
The winning California ticket was publicly linked to Edwin Castro. He chose the cash option of about $997.6 million before taxes rather than the advertised annuity value.
What is the biggest UK lottery win ever?
The UK record remains £195,707,000, won on EuroMillions on 19 July 2022 by an anonymous UK ticket-holder.
What is the biggest EuroMillions jackpot ever?
The EuroMillions record is €250 million. It was won three times during 2025: Austria on 28 March, Ireland on 17 June and France on 19 August.
What is the biggest European lottery jackpot?
SuperEnalotto awarded a record €371,133,424.51 jackpot in Italy on 16 February 2023. The winning system was divided into 90 shares, so no single person received the whole amount.
Was the €371 million SuperEnalotto jackpot won by one person?
No. It was won through a system entry whose 90 shares were sold across Italy. Each winning share represented only part of the full jackpot.
What was the biggest Powerball jackpot won in 2026?
A single Illinois ticket won $1.04 billion on 12 August 2026. The cash value was $450.5 million before taxes.
What is the biggest Mega Millions jackpot?
Mega Millions’ record jackpot is $1.602 billion, won by one ticket in Florida on 8 August 2023.
Are US jackpot figures the amount winners actually receive?
Not necessarily. The headline Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot is normally the annuity value. Winners who choose the cash option receive a lower pre-tax lump sum.
Are UK lottery jackpots taxed?
The initial National Lottery prize is not taxed in the UK. Normal tax rules can apply later to income or gains generated after the winnings are invested.
Why are so many large UK winners anonymous?
UK National Lottery winners can choose whether to take publicity. Several of the largest jackpot winners have chosen not to make their identities public.
Why are winner names sometimes trusts or companies in the US?
Depending on state rules and the structure used to claim a prize, the public claimant can be a trust, legal entity or representative rather than the individual people behind the ticket.
Why not convert all jackpots into pounds and create one global ranking?
Historical exchange rates change the apparent order, and different lotteries use different payout structures. Keeping the original advertised currency makes the comparison more transparent.
Are shared jackpots ranked by the full prize or each winner’s share?
This guide uses the advertised jackpot amount but clearly identifies split tickets, group claims and system shares so the headline figure is not mistaken for one person’s payout.
Are these jackpot records adjusted for inflation?
No. They are the advertised values at the time of each winning draw. Inflation-adjusted wealth would be a different comparison.
Record checking
Sources and review method
Record figures are checked against official lottery operators wherever practical, with current reporting used where an official page is not easily indexed. My Lottery Life keeps the original advertised jackpot currency and does not replace US headline jackpots with cash values.
- Powerball — record US lottery jackpots
- Powerball — $1.04bn Illinois win, August 2026
- Mega Millions — jackpot history
- SuperEnalotto — €371.1m record draw
- Austrian Lotteries — €250m EuroMillions record
- FDJ — France’s €250m EuroMillions win
- The National Lottery — UK EuroMillions winners
- Sky News / Allwyn — £181.07m UK win, March 2026