Lottery jackpot records

This is a collection of notable lottery jackpot records in the United States and Europe, listing the largest prizes/jackpots awarded in various drawings.

The January 13, 2016 U.S. Powerball drawing created the largest jackpot in world history;^[1] It had an annuity value of $1,586,400,000. (The next largest, a Mega Millions jackpot, was over $656,000,000).

Prior to 2016, Spain's Sorteo Extraordinario de Navidad (Spanish Christmas Lottery) was generally considered to be the world's largest lottery game, with the largest first prize/jackpot. In 2012, the first prize was €720 million (then US$941.8 million). The total prize pool in 2012 was €2.52 billion (US$3.297 billion). The tickets for this drawing have pre-printed five-digit numbers, with each set of numbers sold multiple times in series. For example, a ticket with the number "00001" was printed 180 times under different series numbers. This results in the top prize being split by multiple winners. The 2011 top prize of €720 million was paid out as €4 million (US$5.2 million) to each of the 180 tickets with the number 58268.^[2]

United States

All lottery winnings are subject to Federal taxation (automatically reported to the Internal Revenue Service if the win is at least $600); many smaller jurisdictions also levy taxes. The IRS requires a minimum withholding of 25% of the prize (minus the wager) of any gambling win in excess of $5,000. However, the net for a major prize often is misleading; winners often owe the IRS upon filing a return because the Federal withholding was below the winner's tax obligations. Nonresident U.S. lottery winners^[3] have 30% of winnings of at least $600 withheld.

All lump-sum prizes listed below are reported as the pre-withholdings amount, as this is income the player "earned" and must report on their returns to be subject to taxation. Jackpot shares listed below are annuity amounts.

For various reasons, an annuitized jackpot can have a higher cash value than a larger annuity with a lower cash value. Examples include the annuity structure of various games: while Mega Millions' and Powerball's annuity option each are 30 annual payments, Mega Millions' annuity payments increase 5 percent yearly, while Powerball increases 4 percent yearly; this makes the Mega Millions' annuity structure somewhat more "inflated".

List of U.S. lottery drawings of $300 million or more (annuity value) with at least one jackpot-winning ticket (dollar amounts in millions):^[4][5]

Notes:

• MM. ^ ^ The Big Game became The Big Game Mega Millions and then Mega Millions in 2002.

Europe

Unlike in the United States, where lottery wins are taxed, European jackpots are generally tax-free (the lotteries themselves are taxed in other ways) and jackpots are paid in a lump sum. For example, in the United Kingdom's National Lottery, wagers are split between the game operator Camelot Group and the government, with Camelot distributing its share among prizes, operating costs, profit,^[8] Camelot's 'good causes' programme, with the remainder going to the government as value-added tax VAT. due.^[9]

Examples of largest jackpots in specific European lotteries

• £161.7 million (EUR185 million/US$260 million) was the largest jackpot and single-ticket jackpot in the pan-European EuroMillions in GBP currency, won on 12 July 2011 in the UK.^[10]
• €190 million (£148.7 million/US$234 million) was the largest jackpot and single-ticket jackpot in the pan-European EuroMillions in EUR currency, won on 10 August 2012 in the UK. On 24 October 2014 it happened again: €190 million (£149.8 million/US$240.7 million) was won by a single-ticket in Portugal.
• €90.0 million (£65.5 million/US$103.0 million) was the largest jackpot and single-ticket jackpot in the pan-European Eurojackpot, won on 15 May 2015 in Czech Republic. On 14 October 2016 it happened again: €90 million (£81.0 million/US$98.8 million) was won by a single-ticket in Germany.
• €177.7 million (US$248 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in Italy's SuperEnalotto lottery, won on 30 October 2010.
• €45.4 million (US$67 million) was the largest jackpot in Germany's Lotto 6 aus 49, won in December 2007 by three tickets.
• €37.7 million (US$48 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in the German Lotto 6 aus 49, won on 7 October 2006.
• SEK 238 million (US$38 million) is the largest single ticket jackpot of Svenska Spel Lotto Drömvinsten
• £66.1 million (US$96 million) was the largest jackpot in the United Kingdom's Lotto, won on 9 January 2016 by two tickets.
• £35.1 million (US$49.6 million) was the largest winner on the UK Lotto game in April 2016.
• €38.4 million (US$49.7 million) was the largest jackpot in the Netherlands draw of the Staatsloterij (State Lottery).in May 2013.
• €30 million (US$31 million) was the largest jackpot in France's SuperLoto, won in May 2006 by two tickets.
• €24 million (US$35 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in the French SuperLotto, won on 6 June 2011.
• SEK 215 million (€22 million, US$30 million) was the largest single-ticket jackpot in Sweden's Lotto of Svenska Spel, won on 27 March 2010.^[11]
• €19 million (US$30 million) was the largest jackpot and largest single-ticket jackpot in Ireland's Lotto, won on 28 June 2008 by a group of sixteen work colleagues at a quarry and concrete plant in County Carlow.^[12]
• €12.2 million (US$15.7 million) was the largest jackpot in Finland's Lotto of Veikkaus, won in October 2012 by one ticket.
• €13 million (US$17.9 million) was the largest jackpot in Belgium's Loterie Nationale/Nationale Loterij, won in December 2013 by one ticket.

References