15 Powerball Jackpots and Mega Millions Won in 2023

Winning the Powerball lottery is a dream many hold dear, yet few ever experience due to the immense odds stacked against them. 

However, in 2023, the tides turned for at least 15 fortunate lottery players across the United States.

Over the past year, the Mega Millions jackpot saw an impressive ten triumphs on its own, while the Powerball boasted five wins, four of which skyrocketed past the billion-dollar mark.

A notable highlight of the year was the unprecedented occurrence of four jackpots surpassing $1 billion, a remarkable feat given that only nine such instances have transpired since the inception of both lotteries decades ago.

Here’s a recap of the notable Powerball and Mega Millions victories over the past year, listed from the highest to the lowest:

•  Powerball – $1.765 billion, Oct. 11: Claimed in California, marking the second-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
•  Mega Millions – $1.602 billion, Aug. 8: Secured by Saltines Holdings LLC from Miami, Florida, representing the largest jackpot in Mega Millions history and the fourth-largest in U.S. lottery history.
• Mega Millions – $1.348 billion, Jan. 13: Won by an anonymous ticket holder from Lebanon, Maine.
• Powerball – $1.08 billion, July 19: Purchased at a grocery store in Los Angeles, California.
• Powerball – $754.6 million, Feb. 6: The first of five Powerball wins in 2023, claimed in Washington.
• Mega Millions – $483 million, April 14: Awarded to Johnnie Taylor, 71, of Queens, New York, the largest jackpot ever won in the state.
• Mega Millions – $394 million, Dec. 8: Shared by two tickets sold at the same Chevron gas station in Encino, California.
• Mega Millions – $361 million, Oct. 6: Won by Blue Yucca Trust of Rapid City, S.D., with a ticket purchased in San Angelo, Texas.
• Powerball – $252.6 million, April 19: Sold at Get Go in Macedonia, Ohio.
• Powerball – $162.2 million, March 4: Purchased at Gill Brothers in Dublin, Virginia.
• Mega Millions – $39 million, Aug. 15: Acquired from a Publix in Jacksonville, Florida.
• Mega Millions – $33 million, Jan. 24: Claimed by Skylark Group Trust of Wellesley, Massachusetts.
• Mega Millions – $31 million, Jan. 31: Won by S & L Trust of Waltham, Massachusetts.
• Mega Millions – $20 million, April 18: Taken by Shadowknight LLC of Syracuse, New York.
• Mega Millions – $20 million, Jan. 17: Jerson Garcia of the Bronx, New York, celebrated his first lottery play with a jackpot win.