Mega Millions prize money totals $965 million: What are the largest jackpots ever?
There have been seven jackpots over a billion dollars, with the biggest win coming in August 2023.
On August 8, 2023, the record Mega Millions prize of $1.602 billion ($794.2 million cash) went to one lucky winner with a ticket purchased in Florida. To this day, it remains the largest prize ever given out in the lottery’s 28-year history.
Before that, the previous largest Mega Millions win was $1.537 billion - a jackpot scooped by a single player in South Carolina, who matched the five main numbers and the Mega Ball, in October 2018. It was the first time since Mega Millions was established in 1996 that the jackpot had crossed the $1 billion mark.
In all, the prize has now reached 10 figures on seven occasions.
This year, we have seen four winners: $112 million ($49.95 million cash) was won by an anonymous player in Arizona in January; March’s Mega Millions jackpot of $349 million ($161.4 million cash) landed in Illinois; a ticket purchased in South Euclid, Ohio won $112 million ($49.3 million cash) in April and the most recent winner, an anonymous player in Virginia, took home $348 million ($155.5 million cash) in June. A total of $921 million in prize money dished out to Mega Millions winners in 2025.
On November 11, 2025, the MegaMillions jackpot rose to $965 million after 39 rollovers - making it the eighth highest jackpot in history.
The biggest Mega Millions jackpot winners
| Jackpot | Date won | Location | Number of winners |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1.602 billion | August 8, 2023 | Florida | 1 |
| $1.537 billion | October 23, 2018 | South Carolina | 1 |
| $1.348 billion | January 13, 2023 | Maine | 1 |
| $1.337 billion | July 29, 2022 | Illinois | 1 |
| $1.269 billion | December 27, 2024 | California | 1 |
| $1.128 billion | March 26, 2024 | New Jersey | 1 |
| $1.050 billion | January 22, 2021 | Michigan | 1 |
How are Mega Millions payments distributed?
Winners have two options.
The first is to receive an annual payment over the course of 30 years.
The second is to receive a lump-sum payment shortly after winning. However, depending on which option one selects, the total disbursed will be impacted. Those who choose the 30-year option will be distributed a larger total, but the investment potential of the lump-sum option could lead a much larger total over the course of the following decade.
However, the final payout distributed to individuals has a lot to do with state taxes and rules in their state. For instance, according to liveabout.com, in Idaho, a lottery winner can expect to take home 78.53 percent of the advertised winnings, while in West Virginia the total is much lower, at 16.97 percent.
Many states tax lotteries at very high rates and use the money to fund public programs, like schools, infrastructure projects, and other social benefits that a large percentage of residents are able to take advantage of. The median amount distributed across states is a little under two-thirds, at 64 percent.
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