Top 5 Biggest Ever Lottery Jackpot Wins

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There is one group of people that makes all experienced entrepreneurs rack their brains at nights, while common office workers look at them with admiring envy. These people may not be smart enough to talk about the Renaissance or quantum physics, nor witty enough to tell a joke (even a silly one), or “beautiful” enough to walk down a catwalk during fashion week. But there is one thing (some would even consider it a special trait) that makes them stand out from all others — insane luck! These people are lottery jackpot winners, and quite frankly, they probably don’t care at all about any of the widely prized human qualities listed above.

$1.586 Billion Powerball

Three US Powerball winners divided the $1.6 billion jackpot after the winning draw on January 13, 2016, CNN Money reports.

John and Lisa Robinson, from Tennessee, were among the winners who bought a lottery ticket worth $533 million. The couple told NBC’s Today Show that the lucky ticket was one of four from a nearby grocery store. The Robinsons decided to take their prize in one single lump payment of $327.8 million, claiming that “tomorrow is not guaranteed.”

It took more than a month since the drawing for Maureen Smith and David Kaltshmidt to show up in front of the lottery officials. The Florida winners said that they kept the news secret all this time, and even their family had no idea about their win. The couple also opted to take the money in a lump sum.

However, the Acostas cap the list of the lucky lottery players who managed to shake up the US at the beginning of 2016. They claimed the win 6 months after the drawing announcement, stating that they’d been assembling a team of advisers.

$1.5 Billion Mega Millions

The Mega Millions $1.5 billion was won by a single ticket on October 23, 2018, making this lottery prize the largest jackpot ever hit by a single person.

The lottery winner opted to remain in the shadows for over four months after the lucky numbers were revealed, CNN says. On March 5, 2019, the winner (who decided to remain anonymous) went to see the lottery officials and received a lump sum of $878 million.

The life-changing ticket was sold at a KC Mart convenience store in Simpsonville, South Carolina. It was reported that the store was going to gain $50,000 for selling the ticket, and the state would collect $61 million from the winner in income tax.

$758.7 Million Powerball

The Powerball ticket worth $758.7 million was sold to Massachusetts resident Mavis L. Wanchzyk on August 23, 2017. As of the moment of writing, this woman won one of the largest jackpots from a single ticket in U.S. history.

Mavis L. Wanchzyk is the second winner of the largest lottery jackpots in U.S. history, winning a sum of $758.7 million. Shortly after the news came to light, she quit the job she’d been working at for 32 years.

$656 Million Mega Millions

The Mega Millions $656 million jackpot was won on March 30, 2012, and it was subsequently split among the lucky three tickets holders.

Merle and Patricia Butler, a couple from Illinois, were among the winners who claimed a share of $218 million. In an interview with NBC, the Butlers emphasized that they were just everyday people who had worked hard all their life. “We just happened to hit it big,” the couple added.

The owners of two other lucky lottery tickets — one of which is the trio calling themselves “The Three Amigos” — opted to remain anonymous.

$648 million Mega Millions

The $648 million Mega Millions jackpot was divided between Ira Curry and Steve Tran in December 2013.

Curry said that it was her last-minute decision to buy a lottery ticket which later brought her $218 million. The woman from Georgia also added that the combination of symbols she chose consisted of family birthdays and number 7.

“I hit the jackpot. I don’t think I’m going to come in today, tomorrow, or ever,” Tran told his boss by phone, reports NBC Bay Area.