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Powerball Dec. 2025 vs. the biggest lottery jackpots in history

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Published  December 16, 2025 9:05am CST
Lottery
FOX Local
What are the odds you win the lottery?

What are the odds you win the lottery?

What are the odds you win the lottery? You're more likely to be struck by lightning.

The Brief

    • The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $1.25 billion for Wednesday night’s drawing.
    • The U.S. has seen more than a dozen lottery jackpot prizes exceed $1 billion since 2016.
    • The largest one was over $2 billion in November 2022.

The Powerball jackpot is continuing to grow, and is entering record-high territory after no ticket matched all six numbers drawn Monday night. 

By the numbers:

The current estimated winnings for Wednesday night’s drawing is at $1.25 billion. 

Here’s how that stacks up against the largest lottery jackpots ever won: 

Biggest lottery jackpots

Big picture view:

The U.S. has seen more than a dozen lottery jackpot prizes exceed $1 billion since 2016. 

The largest lottery jackpot ever won was in 2022 – more than $2 billion to someone who bought a ticket in Los Angeles. 

1. $2.04 billion

The largest lottery jackpot to date was the $2.04 billion Powerball on Nov. 7, 2022 with a winning ticket sold at a Los Angeles-area gas station. 

FILE - Powerball jackpot is displayed on the computer screen at a lottery kiosk on November 7, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images)

2. $1.787 billion 

Two winning Powerball tickets from Missouri and Texas won the prize of $1.787 billion earlier this year on Sept. 6, 2025. 

RELATED: Powerball winner: Two tickets hit $1.8B jackpot

3. $1.765 billion

The winning ticket from a liquor store in a tiny California mountain town won the Oct. 11, 2023 drawing for $1.765 billion. 

4. $1.602 billion

A winning ticket for the Aug. 8, 2023, $1.602 billion Mega Millions lottery prize was sold in Florida supermarket. 

5. $1.586 billion

On Jan. 13, 2016, three winning Powerball tickets were sold in California, Florida and Tennessee for the $1.586 billion drawing. 

6. $1.537 billion

A ticket for the $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize on Oct. 23, 2018 was sold in South Carolina.

7. $1.348 billion

A single ticket was sold in Maine for the $1.348 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Jan. 13, 2023.

8. $1.337 billion

A winning lottery player in Illinois claimed the $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize on July 29, 2022.

9. $1.326 billion

A winning ticket was sold in Oregon and won the $1.326 billion Powerball on April 7, 2024. 

10. $1.269 billion 

A ticket was sold at a gas station in Northern California to win the $1.269 billion Mega Millions prize on Dec. 27, 2024. 

The Source: Information in this article was taken from Powerball and Mega Millions records. This story was reported from Detroit.

LotteryU.S.Lifestyle