This was the largest jackpot ever won by a single ticket to date, until November 2022 when a Powerball jackpot rose to a record-breaking $2.04 billion and was matched by a single ticket sold in California. The $1.537 billion jackpot was won by a single player from South Carolina. The Mega Millions draw on 23 October 2018 did set one world record. The Mega Millions jackpot up for grabs was advertised as $1.6 billion, but after the draw took place, the final prize was actually lower than Powerball’s record, and this was because ticket sales hadn’t lived up to expectations. In October 2018, it looked like Mega Millions was on the verge of passing that amount.
Powerball’s record $1.586 billion was split between three winners in January 2016. After a momentous rollover series, Mega Millions awarded a $656 million jackpot on 30 March 2012, a prize shared by three winners. The Mega Millions jackpot rose to epic proportions in March 2012, at a time when the world record stood at $390 million (set by Mega Millions in March 2007). Today, Powerball holds the world record but before that, a Mega Millions jackpot held that claim to fame for four years. Powerball and Mega Millions are famous for awarding incredible jackpot prizes, the biggest in the world by far.
* Officially, the advertised jackpot is determined by game sales and interest rates, and it is announced prior to each draw.
