{"id":16001,"date":"2026-04-12T13:03:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T13:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.thelotter.com\/?p=16001"},"modified":"2026-05-24T23:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T23:30:33","slug":"biggest-world-jackpots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelotter.com\/blog\/guides\/biggest-world-jackpots\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biggest Jackpots in the World"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Biggest Jackpots in the World<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n
TheLotter<\/a><\/span> \u00bb Guides<\/a><\/span> \u00bb The Biggest Jackpots in the World<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

Have you ever dreamed of winning a life-changing amount of money? If so, you might be interested in learning about the biggest jackpots in the world that have been awarded by various lotteries. Join us as we explore the most amazing prizes that have been won by lucky players across the globe!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is the World’s Biggest Jackpot?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A US$2.04 billion<\/strong> US Powerball prize won in November 2022 holds the record for the world\u2019s all-time biggest jackpot and the single largest lottery prize to be awarded to a single winner. Prior to this, a US$1.586 billion<\/strong> US Powerball prize won in January 2016 was the largest lottery jackpot ever won. This was split among three winners from California, Florida, and Tennessee, who were each eligible to take home a US$533 million<\/strong> slice of the prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How High Can Jackpots Go?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There is no limit to how high jackpots can go, as long as they keep rolling over without a winner. However, some lotteries have a jackpot cap or limit that prevents the top prize from growing beyond a certain amount. For example, EuroMillions has a jackpot cap of \u20ac250 million<\/strong>, while EuroJackpot has a jackpot limit of \u20ac120 million<\/strong>. If the jackpot reaches the cap or limit and is not won, it will stay at that amount for a maximum number of draws before it must be won or shared with lower-tier winners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are the Largest Starting Jackpots?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to the biggest starting jackpots, US Powerball and Mega Millions are in a league of their own. Powerball’s jackpot prize resets to an estimated US$20 million<\/strong>* every time it is won, while Mega Millions resets to an estimated US$50 million.<\/strong> Both of these starting jackpots are more than what many lotteries pay out as their top prize.

Among the European lotteries, the one with the highest starting jackpot is EuroMillions, which begins at \u20ac17 million<\/strong> and can grow until it reaches the prize cap of \u20ac250 million<\/strong>.

The next largest is EuroJackpot, which has a starting jackpot of \u20ac10 million<\/strong> and a jackpot limit of \u20ac120 million<\/strong>. This lottery has relatively good odds and a large fanbase, so its top prize is often won before it gets too high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Biggest Lottery Jackpot Winners in the World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A US$2.04 billion<\/strong> US Powerball jackpot was won on November 7, 2022, by a single ticket sold in the state of California. This extraordinary win is also the only jackpot to surpass US$2 billion<\/strong> making Edwin Castro the biggest lottery winner in history. In September 2025, a US Powerball jackpot of $1.787 billion<\/strong> was awarded, making it the second-largest prize in the lottery’s history. The prize was shared by two winning tickets, one from Missouri and another from Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 10 US Jackpots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The United States is famous across the globe for consistently paying out unimaginable top prizes and breaking jackpot records time and time again! Unsurprisingly, the US comes in first place when it comes to the biggest jackpots, with US Powerball and Mega Millions paying out all top ten of the world’s biggest lottery prizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out the top 10 biggest US jackpots ever won, which also happen to be the biggest jackpots in the entire world!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rank<\/th>Lottery<\/th>Amount<\/th>Date<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
1<\/td>Powerball<\/td>US$2.04 billion<\/td>7 November 2022<\/td><\/tr>
2<\/td>Powerball<\/td>US$1.787 billion<\/td>6 September 2025<\/td><\/tr>
3<\/td>Powerball<\/td>US$1.765 billion<\/td>11 October 2023<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Mega Millions<\/td>US$1.602 billion<\/td>8 August 2023<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Powerball<\/td>US$1.586 billion<\/td>13 January 2016<\/td><\/tr>
6<\/td>Mega Millions<\/td>US$1.537 billion<\/td>23 October 2018<\/td><\/tr>
7<\/td>Mega Millions<\/td>US$1.348 billion<\/td>13 January 2023<\/td><\/tr>
8<\/td>Mega Millions<\/td>US$1.337 billion<\/td>29 July 2022<\/td><\/tr>
9<\/td>Powerball<\/td>US$1.326 billion<\/td>6 April 2024<\/td><\/tr>
10<\/td>Mega Millions<\/td>US$1.269 billion<\/td>27 December 2024<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Read more information about the\u00a0biggest Mega Millions jackpots<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0largest Powerball jackpot prizes<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which Lotteries Have the Highest Jackpots?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Apart from US Powerball and Mega Millions, which are the undisputed leaders in jackpot size, there are other lotteries that offer impressive top prizes as well. Here are some of them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n