Greatest jackpot in a national lottery

The largest single jackpot won in a national lottery is $2.05 billion (£1.79 billion), for a $2 (£1.75) Powerball ticket sold at the Joe's Service Center convenience store in Altadena, California, USA, and drawn on 8 November 2022. The winner was finally revealed to be Edwin Castro (USA), who chose to receive his winnings as a single reduced lump sum of $997.6 million (£872 million).

The winning numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and Powerball of 10 – odds of 1 in 292.2 million. The prize pot had grown after 40 draws without the grand prize being won, resulting in an unprecedented pot. An additional 22 people each won $1 million for matching five numbers without the Powerball, and one lucky entrant won $2 million for matching five numbers with the x2 multiplier.

Powerball prizes are paid out in 30 annual graduated installments over 29 years, or as a single discounted lump sum - in this case $997.6 million – and subject to federal and jurisdictional taxes.

Castro was not named as the winner until February 2023, although he opted not to attend the press announcement or make his biographical details known, as he wishes to maintain his privacy. As mandated in Californian law, the winner has one year to submit their winning ticket, and their name and winnings must be announced, as part of the public record. In California, any unclaimed winnings are awarded to the state's public school system.

As a result of lottery ticket sales, the California school system still received more than $156 million (£136 million). In a statement, Mr Castro said: “As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, t’s gratifying to hear that as a result of my win, the California school system greatly benefits as well.”

Prior to this, the largest lottery jackpot was $1.58 billion (£1.09 billion), won in the Powerball by three individuals on 13 January 2016 after 19 lottery draws had no winners. The largest individual win was $1,537,000,000 ($1.18 billion) for a Mega Millions draw on 23 October 2018 in South Carolina, USA.