A Powerball jackpot over $1 billion is impressive, and the winners of these big jackpots are unique in their spending and way of life.
In recent years, Powerball jackpots have risen to incredible amounts, making headlines across the country. But looking back, do you know how many of them actually peaked over $1B?
The occurrences of Powerball jackpots reaching $1 billion are surprisingly low, with only five jackpots hitting that $1 billion mark, as of December 2024.
January 2016 produced the first $1 billion-plus jackpot, coming in at $1.586 billion. The money was split between three winners in three different states: California, Florida, and Tennessee.
The November 2022 drawing produced a single ticket winner, and this one, the ONLY one to exceed $2 billion, hit a record $2.04 billion.
Oregon got the nod in April of 2024 by one winner to the tune of $1.326 billion.
In 2023, California showed up and showed out, with TWO jackpots over $1 billion, the first at $1.08 billion, and the second drawing was a staggering $1.765 billion.
Hitting a Powerball jackpot at all is a giant feat, but scoring one that’s over $1 billion, well, that’s the pinnacle of fortune and luck. Naturally, these big winners became overnight sensations, and many people are curious how that instant wealth changed their lives and what they are up to nowadays.
The Robinsons were among the shared winners of a $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot. They chose to collect their winnings using the lump sum option, bringing home $327.8 million. After buying a private lakeside property, these winners have chosen a private life, and not much is known about them. Together, the Robinsons split their Powerball jackpot with two other families who managed to have winning tickets, the Acostas in California and Florida residents, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt.
After a 6-year dry spell, 2022 brought another big winner. Edwin Castro single-handedly hit an astounding $2.04 billion jackpot, chose the lump sum option, and collected about $997.6 million. He retained the services of a financial advisory firm, and with that guidance, bought a couple of high-end mansions in Southern California, began collecting vintage Porsche automobiles, and became philanthropic, donating to several charities.
California once again got the honor in 2023, with two $1 billion jackpots collected. These lucky ducks have remained under the radar, and no information is available as to where they are today or how they’ve chosen to spend their lump sum winnings of $558 and $774 million, respectively.
Last, but certainly not the least, on our list of Who’s Who in the $1 billion Powerball Jackpot Hall of Fame, is Charlie Saephan. This big win saved his life, helping him receive cancer treatments and care for his family so he can continue receiving lifesaving chemotherapy. He continues to maintain good health and is grateful for his good fortune. Charlie won $1.326 billion and took home about $422 million.
While the billion-dollar jackpots make headlines, you don’t need ten figures to turn your world around. Plenty of Powerball winners have seen life-changing results from far “smaller” wins of a few million, or even hundreds of thousands. A win like $100,000 can wipe out debt, buy a home, fund your children’s education, or jumpstart a dream business. A $1 million win? That could mean early retirement or generational wealth.
It seems like more and more people are playing Powerball, and that means those jackpots have the potential to climb up towards the $1 billion mark. Players should keep in mind that the odds of nailing a jackpot that large are 1 in 292 million. But don’t get discouraged! Bear in mind, you only need ONE ticket with the matching numbers to collect that big money. Who knows, you might be featured as a big winner in an article like this someday!