These days, it’s normal to see lottery wins of $50,000 or even $1 million. But have you ever wondered how much were the largest jackpot prizes ever won? Wonder no longer—below are some of the biggest lotto and Powerball wins in history.
$656 million
The largest lottery jackpot in history (so far, at least), was from the U.S., and is worth $656 million. Aside from its staggering size, the win was also controversial because of the drama surrounding the identity of the real ticketholders. There was a woman who claimed to own one of the winning tickets, but she also bought a syndicate ticket for her co-workers and insists that the winner was purchased separately. The suspense lasted a week, but the three winners eventually claimed their windfall.
$390 million
This 2007 MegaMillions jackpot had two winning tickets: one was owned by truck driver Eddie Nabors in Dalton, Georgia, and the other by contractor Harold Messner. All in all, the cash pay-out for this jackpot was worth $233.1 million, which is said to be the third largest in the history of U.S. lottery.
$380 million
One of the largest wins in lottery history was worth a massive $380 million, which was split between two ticketholders, with each getting $190 million (before taxes). One ticket was owned by Jim and Carolyn McCullar, a couple from Ephrata, Washington. The other was Holly Lahti of Rathdrum, Idaho. Unfortunately, Lahti’s troubled past came up when she went into hiding.
$365 million
In February 2006, eight employees of a ConAgra meat-packing plant in Nebraska won the largest Powerball jackpot in history. Seven men and one woman won $365 million in all. Immediately after winning, three quit their jobs. All eight winners decided to claim their prize in lump sum, worth $15.5 million after taxes.
$340 million
Back in 2005, the West and Chaney families of Jacksonville, Oregon won the $340 million Powerball jackpot. The winners chose to get the prize in lump sum, which was worth $110 million after taxes. They then established the Robert & Frances Chaney Family Foundation and West Family Foundation to aid non-profits that help poor families in Southern Oregon.
$314.9 million
Even after a decade, businessman Jack Whittaker’s $314.9 million Powerball win in 2002 is still the largest jackpot for a single ticket. Like most winners, Whittaker chose to get his prize in cash, which was worth $170 million or $113.9 million after taxes. Before winning in Powerball, Whittaker was already rich and had a net worth of $17 million.
£161 million
The largest jackpot in British history, worth £161 million, was won by Colin and Chris Weir from Largs, Scotland. But because the couple went public with their win, a deluge of begging letters steadily arrived at their home, causing the Weirs to go into hiding in Spain. The couple, however, went on a string of generous donations, including paying for the operation of a child with cerebral palsy.
AU$106 million
In Australia, the largest-ever jackpot win was the AU$106 million Oz Lotto draw back in June 2009. Two winners shared the prize: a couple living in Gold Coast, Queensland and a blue collar worker from South Australia. Interestingly, the Queensland couple still went to work after winning their AU$53 million share.
