Check out the “where” behind some of this year’s luckiest and biggest Powerball jackpot stories to see if you recognize any of these familiar places.
When it comes to Powerball, everyone wants to know two things: who won, and where did they buy that golden ticket? Sure, the odds are steep. But part of the fun is dreaming big and maybe learning a thing or two from the luckiest players of the year.
Let’s take a lighthearted look at some of the luckiest Powerball ticket purchase locations of 2025 (so far,) explore how players are buying tickets in different ways, and dig into which states have historically produced the most winners. Spoiler: 7-Eleven is officially a vibe.
Our first jackpot of 2025 went to a Powerball player in Oregon, who bagged a $328.5 million prize. Was it a gas station? A grocery store? A humble convenience shop? This winner bought his ticket at a Fred Meyer store in Beaverton.
Just last March, a $526.5 million Powerball jackpot winner bought their ticket at a 7-Eleven. That win netted the popular convenience store chain a cool $1 million just for being the winning authorized retailer.
This one sits just a few miles from Disneyland. Even crazier? The winning numbers included 7 and 11. If that’s not a sign from the Powerball universe, what is? Big Gulp, indeed.
Just before the Kentucky Derby, the Bluegrass State got something even more exciting than fast horses: a $167.3 million Powerball win.
The winning ticket was sold at Clark's Pump-N-Shop, making it the biggest Powerball jackpot ever claimed in Kentucky. That’s one fill-up that paid off in a major way.
If you’re feeling inspired, know this: not every store sells Powerball tickets. Only authorized retailers, which usually include gas stations, corner and big-box grocery stores, and convenience stores, can sell the real deal.
Some famously lucky spots include:
Many stores display signs announcing past big winners. So, if you see one with a “$1 Million Winner Sold Here!” poster… Well, maybe it’s your turn.
Yes, but only in certain states. As of 2025, these states offer official online Powerball ticket purchases:
Just download the state’s official lottery app or use a trusted partner like Jackpocket in eligible areas, and you’re in the game. Online play is especially popular among younger Powerball players who are used to doing everything digitally. Plus, no more last-minute gas station runs in pajamas. Win-win.
Powerball is still a game of chance. And the odds reset with every drawing. So, where you play Powerball isn’t going to be the sure-thing strategy for increasing your odds. Instead, think about where you play (which retailer, which state, online or in person,) logically.
States with bigger populations and more ticket sales naturally have more winners. That’s simple math. But every winner’s story has that one place where their dream started, like a gas station, a 7-Eleven, or a phone app.
So whether you play regularly at your corner market or try your luck in a new state while traveling, where you play still matters because it’s where your story could begin.
The Powerball jackpot keeps growing, and players everywhere are dreaming about what they’d do with a windfall. If history has taught us anything, it’s that big wins can happen anywhere, from a tiny Kentucky shop to a touristy California stop.
Just remember that to win, you have to play. And who knows? The next "lucky location" could be wherever you decide to grab a ticket in 2025.