Statistics and curiosities of the biggest American lotteries

Everybody dreams of winning the jackpot and nowadays the dream is even more appealing, as lotteries from all over the world, in all shapes and sizes, are available online. But do you know which are the most famous and loved lotteries on Earth? The American Powerball and Mega Millions.

Are you curious to know numbers and statistics of the most important lotteries in United States and discover why they are so popular? Which are the luckiest states? Where have the biggest jackpots been won? Keep reading and all these questions and more will be answered.

Powerball stats and facts

1. Powerball history

   The Powerball lottery began in 1988 as Lotto America. In April 19th, 1992 it changed the name to Powerball with the first draw of April 22th. When it was launched, the Powerball lottery became the first game to use two drums.

   
   

2. Powerball lucky States

   The absence of a jackpot cap makes Powerball one of the world's most popular lotteries. 

   In fact, the number of non-US players is growing, due to the possibility to play international lotteries online. For example, on December 2017 a Colombian woman won a Powerball prize of $50.000 playing online from her country. Though this is a recent trend and the majority of jackpots in Powerball history have been won on United States territory,

   Now, let’s take a look at the table below to discover the luckiest US States for the this lottery. 

   State	Jackpots won	Starting Year
   Indiana	39	1992
   Missouri	31	1992
   Minnesota	22	1992
   Pennsylvania	18	1992
   Kentucky	18	2002

   Data retrieved from April 1992 to May 2018

   
   

3. Jackpot curiosity

   In January 13th, 2016 the jackpot raised to $1.58 billion, breaking the record for the world's biggest lottery prize! It was won by three winning tickets. The tickets were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee. The amount for each winning ticket was nearly $528.8 million.

   
   

4. Lottery curiosity

   Lots of people are curious about how the lottery actually makes its money. Broadly speaking, many believe that the lottery keeps all the profit but it is not true. Indeed, the Powerball lottery puts 50% towards paying winners in the various prize categories, 40% to good causes and charity, and 10% to the retailer who sold the winning lottery ticket.

Mega Millions stats and facts

1. Mega Millions history

   The Mega Millions lottery began on August 31st, 1996 as the Big Game with only six participating States of America: Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan and Virginia. The name was changed in May 2002 to Mega Millions and New York and Ohio became member States. Also the game matrix and prize amounts were changed. 

   
   

2. Mega Millions lucky States

   Everybody's always talking about Powerball, but Mega Millions is another important American lottery that offers record-breaking jackpots! 

   Have a look at the table below to discover the luckiest States for this lottery. 

   State	Jackpots won
   New York	42
   California	29
   Ohio	19
   Michigan	17
   Georgia	15

   Data retrieved from May 2002 to May 2018 (total of 203 jackpots won)

   
   

3. Jackpot curiosity

   The largest jackpot was won in March, 2012 by the winning ticket which was sold in Maryland, Illinois and Kansas. The jackpot prize had a total amount of $656 million! 

   Now let’s check out the other incredible jackpots. 

   Jackpot value	Date	Winning tickets	State
   $656 Million	3/3 2012	3	Kansas, Illinois, Maryland
   $648 Million	12/17 2013	2	California, Georgia
   $536 Million	7/8 2013	1	Indiana
   $533 Million	3/30 2018	1	New Jersey
   $451 Million	1/5 2018	1	Florida

   Data retrieved from draws until May 2018 (total of 203 jackpots won)

   
   

   A New Jersey man claimed in April 2018 his $533 million Mega Millions jackpot, giving him the 10th largest lottery jackpot in history.

   
   

4. Lottery curiosity

   You can not only become millionaire with the jackpot, but also the second prizes can be as high as $5 million if the player has purchased the optional Megaplier (a $1 additional purchase available in most States). Mega Millions is the only jackpot game with second prizes of this amount. Since they changed the games matrix on October 19th, 2013 there have been 657 Match 5 winning tickets worth $1 million or more in 5 years!

So, now the American lotteries are more familiar to you! But if you are still curious, have a look at lucky numbers and odds: everything can be helpful to learn how to play better and live your dream. Once you know all of it, you just have to start playing your favorite lottery and having fun on EuroMillions.com!