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One Of The 10 Largest Lottery Jackpots Ever Won Was In South Carolina

Author Melanie Day
BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 26: The Powerball jackpot is seen on a sign at the Shell Gateway store on March 26, 2019 in Boynton Beach, Florida. Wednesday's Powerball drawing will be an approximately $750 million jackpot which would be one of the biggest in US lottery prize history.

I’ll be honest I don’t tend to play the lottery. I’m just not much into gambling. The risk isn’t worth the reward. But plenty of people love to play! In fact, my grandfather won a few thousand dollars on multiple occasions when he was alive. No telling how much he spent to win that though. If you’re hesitant to play the lottery, these stats may help. These are the ten largest U.S. lottery jackpots ever won and the states in which they where they were won. In fact, one of the largest lottery jackpots was sold in South Carolina. Pretty cool!

  1.  $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 8, 2022 (one ticket, from California)
  2. $1.586 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016 (three tickets, from California, Florida, Tennessee)
  3. $1.537 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018 (one ticket, from South Carolina)
  4.  $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023 (one ticket, from Maine)
  5.  $1.337 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022 (one ticket, from Illinois)
  6.  $1.05 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021 (one ticket, from Michigan)
  7.  $768.4 million, Powerball, March 27, 2019 (one ticket, from Wisconsin)
  8. $758.7 million, Powerball, Aug. 23, 2017 (one ticket, from Massachusetts)
  9. $754.6 million, Powerball, Feb. 6, 2023 (one ticket, from Washington state)
  10. $731.1 million, Powerball, Jan. 20, 2021 (one ticket, from Maryland)

Pretty crazy that one of the top three largest lottery jackpots ever was in South Carolina. You could be next! Good luck.

North Carolina Is One Of The Luckiest States For The Lottery

There are some states that are luckier than others. There is no doubt about it. North Carolina made the list of 15 lucky states in the United States, according to OLBG. Everyone has fantasized about winning the lottery, whether it’s the Mega Millions or the Powerball. Whether you’re planning a lavish vacation, buying a house, treating a loved one, giving to charity, or all of the above, when we buy a ticket we always have a little bit of hope and our imaginations go wild when we hear about the unclaimed winning ticket…

When it comes to winning big on the lottery, which states are the luckiest? To determine where in America has the greatest likelihood of winning the big bucks, OLBG analyzed all lottery winners in the U.S. with a jackpot of $300 million or more. You can see the top 15 states below.

  • 15. Tennessee

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    15

    Tennessee

    2

    $582.4 million

    $291.2 million

  • 14. Rhode Island

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    14

    Rhode Island

    1

    $210 million

    $210 million

  • 13. Vermont

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    13

    Vermont

    1

    $208.4 million

    $208.4 million

  • 12. California

    California was ranked 12th luckiest state despite having the highest number of big lottery winners, primarily because the state has such a large population that there are very few lottery winners, and the average winning ticket for a California winner is only $190.5 million.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    12

    California

    11

    $2.95 billion

    $190.5 million

  • 11. Florida

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    11

    Florida

    5

    $1.4 billion

    $280 million

  • 10. New York

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    10

    New York

    6

    $1.3 billion

    $216.7 million

  • 9. Wisconsin

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    9

    Wisconsin

    2

    $702.1 million

    $351.05 million

  • 8. Arizona

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    8

    Arizona

    3

    $795.6 million

    $265.2 million

  • 7. New Jersey

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    7

    New Jersey

    9

    $1.3 billion

    $144 million

  • 6. Michigan

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    6

    Michigan

    3

    $1.09 billion

    $363.3 million

  • 5. Maryland

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    5

    Maryland

    4

    $868.8 million

    $217.2 million

  • 4. Illinois

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    4

    Illinois

    5

    $1.3 billion

    $260 million

  • 3. Indiana

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    3

    Indiana

    3

    $985.8 million

    $328.6 million

  • 2. North Carolina

    North Carolina has won a whopping $1.1 billion between both lottery winners, making its average winning ticket $550 million, the highest in the country. As a result of its higher population, North Carolina didn’t quite capture the title by itself, with a lower percentage of its population winning than New Hampshire.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    2

    North Carolina

    2

    $1.1 billion

    $550 million

  • 1. New Hampshire

    In terms of lottery jackpot winners, New Hampshire and North Carolina share the gold for the luckiest states. Residents in New Hampshire have won a total of $693.7 million, which is an average of $346.85 million per winning ticket. As one of the states with the highest percentage of people who have won over $300 million, New Hampshire has the third smallest population.

    Rank

    State

    Times won

    Total amount won

    Avg. amount won per winning ticket

    1

    New Hampshire

    2

    $693.7 million

    $346.85 million

Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.

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