The Mega Millions jackpot nears $1 billion. Here are the 5 biggest wins ever

Mega Millions is nearing a $1 billion jackpot with no lucky winner since late June.

The current jackpot, which stands at $900 million, or $415.3 million in cash, is one of the lottery’s biggest ever.

Before tonight’s drawing, we’ve compiled a list of the largest jackpots ever awarded in lottery history, from both Mega Millions and Powerball.

Continue reading to see how big the payouts were and when they were awarded.

This $1.58 billion payout was claimed by an LLC in Florida for a lump-sum payment of $794,248,882 in August 2023. We still don’t know the identity of the winner, since Florida allows winners to accept their jackpot via entities like an LLC. 

This massive Powerball payday was split three ways in 2016 between winners in California, Tennessee, and Florida. The winners, who weren't publicly named, got $528 million each if they opted for annual payments over a lump-sum payout.

A Powerball winner in California claimed this prize in October 2023, then the second-largest ever. Theodorus Struyck was publicly named as the winner a few months later. Struyck, a grandfather in his 60s, is a retired UPS worker.

Two Powerball winners in Missouri and Texas struck gold just two months ago, when they both had winning tickets for the $1.87 billion. The unnamed winners from September each took a cash payout, getting $410.3 million before taxes.

Edwin Castro won the largest lottery in U.S. history in November 2022 for more than $2 billion. Castro was named a few months later and has since been the subject of intense tabloid scrutiny following his win. The press he’s received is a good case study for why so many winners choose to shield their identities.