Lottery 'n Go » Blog » Which US State Has the Most Lottery Winners?

Which US State Has the Most Lottery Winners?

The Powerball and Mega Millions have awarded record-breaking jackpots to winners. Anytime the jackpot grows to huge amounts, it is natural to think about what you might buy if you win. Buy a new house? Chase your childhood dream? Quit your day job? The options are limitless. Many people across the various states in the U.S. have won life-changing jackpots and gone on to pursue their dreams.

In this article, we will talk about which state has the most lottery winners, along with the statistics and numbers that show where the luckiest state in the U.S. is. Who knows? You may become a lottery winner by buying your ticket from that state.

The Luckiest States in the US Overview

  • The Luckiest State in the US is New York – with combined 53 Mega Millions and Powerball winners.
  • The biggest Powerball win belongs to the state of California – $2.04 billion
  • The biggest Mega Millions win belong to the state of South Carolina – $1.537 billion
  • No states enjoy any advantage in the lottery so the luckiest states are simply lucky by chance

How We Rank the Winners by States

But before we delve into the states with the most lottery winners, let’s explain our methodology and establish how we came across our rankings of the luckiest states.

  • We neglected the secondary prizes and only counted the jackpot winners for Powerball and Mega Millions
  • If there are many winning ticket holders, the jackpot will be split. In this case, each winner counts as one win.
  • A lottery syndicate is a group of people who pool resources to buy lottery tickets. This helps them to improve their chances of winning and reduce the overall costs of tickets. If a syndicate owns the winning ticket, it will only count as one.
  • If the winner resides in one state but bought their tickets in another, the win goes to the state where they purchased the ticket.

Luckiest States for Powerball

Records show that Indiana has the most Powerball jackpot winners. The game started on April 1992 in Indiana and has awarded huge jackpots to 39 winners.

Florida Lottery

Source: Florida Lottery

We also need to consider the year Powerball was launched in the respective states. Currently, Powerball is held in 45 states. But when it was first introduced, it was launched in just 15 states, including Indiana, Montana, Kansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Iowa, Idaho, Missouri, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, D.C., Minnesota.

It is expected that states where the Powerball first started have more winners. Indiana, Missouri, and Minnesota were among the first states that have the Powerball lottery, so it is no surprise that they top this list.

The table below shows the different states, the number of jackpot winners, and the year Powerball was introduced.

State Number of Jackpot Winners Year launched Number of Years Operating
Indiana 39 1992 31
Missouri 31 1992 31
Minnesota 22 1992 31
Pennsylvania 19 2002 21
Wisconsin 19 1992 31
Kentucky 18 1992 31
Louisiana 17 1995 28
Florida 16 2009 14
Arizona 14 1994 29
New York 12 2010 13
Kansas 11 1992 31
New Hampshire 11 1994 29
Washington DC 11 1992 31
California 11 2013 10
New Jersey 11 2010 13
Nebraska 10 1994 29
Delaware 10 1992 31
Connecticut 9 1995 28
Iowa 9 1992 31
West Virginia 9 1992 31
Rhode Island 8 1992 31
Tennessee 7 2004 19
Georgia 6 2010 13
Massachusetts 6 2010 13
North Carolina 6 2006 17
South Carolina 6 2002 21
Idaho 5 2010 13
Michigan 5 2010 13
New Mexico 5 1996 27
Oregon 5 1992 31
Montana 4 1992 31
Oklahoma 4 2006 17
Colorado 3 2001 22
Maryland 3 2010 13
Ohio 3 2010 13
South Dakota 3 1992 31
Illinois 2 2010 13
Puerto Rico 2 2014 9
Texas 2 2010 13
Arkansas 1 2009 14
Vermont 1 2003 20
Virginia 1 2010 13
Washington 1 2010 13
Maine 0 2004 19
Mississippi 0 2020 3
North Dakota 0 2004 19
U.S. Virgin Islands 0 2010 13
Wyoming 0 2014 9

Luckiest States for Mega Millions

The state with the most Mega Millions jackpot winners in New York. It has 41 jackpot winners. Mega Millions was established in 2002, ten years after the Powerball. Before 2002, it was known as the Big Game. However, it rivals Powerball in terms of huge jackpot and popularity in the United States.

 Michigan Lottery

Source: Michigan Lottery

Mega Millions has the record for the largest jackpot won on a single ticket – $1.537 billion in South Carolina in October 2018. Twenty-seven states have had jackpot winners in the Mega Millions lottery. However, like Powerball, we also need to consider that Mega Millions was introduced at different times to the various states in the country. Hence, states with earlier launch dates are likely to have more jackpot wins.

The table below shows the different states, the number of jackpot winners, and the year Mega Millions was introduced.

State Number of Jackpot Winners Year launched Number of Years Operating
New York 41 2002 21
California 36 2005 18
New Jersey 24 1999 24
Ohio 20 2002 21
Michigan 18 1996 27
Georgia 16 1996 27
Illinois 14 1996 27
Texas 13 2003 20
Maryland 11 1996 27
Virginia 9 1996 27
Washington 5 2002 21
Massachusetts 3 1996 27
Pennsylvania 3 2010 13
Arizona 2 2010 13
Indiana 2 2010 13
Florida 2 2013 10
Missouri 2 2010 13
North Carolina 2 2010 13
Tennessee 2 2010 13
Arkansas 1 2010 13
Idaho 1 2010 13
Kansas 1 2010 13
Minnesota 1 2010 13
New Hampshire 1 2010 13
Rhode Island 1 2010 13
South Carolina 1 2010 13
Wisconsin 1 2010 13

States With the Most Lottery Winners

Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot prizes roll over every draw and keep growing until a winner matches all the numbers in the draw. As a result, the jackpot prize can grow to hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. The table below shows the biggest jackpot wins by state.

State Game Prize
Arizona Mega Millions $410 Million
Arkansas Mega Millions $177 Million
California Powerball $2.04 Billion
Colorado Powerball $133 Million
Connecticut Powerball $254.2 Million
Delaware Powerball $121 Million
Florida Powerball $590.5 Million
Georgia Mega Millions $648 Million
Idaho Powerball $220.3 Million
Illinois Mega Millions $1.33 Billion
Indiana Mega Millions $536 Million
Iowa Powerball $343.9 Million
Kansas Mega Millions $218.6 Million
Kentucky Powerball $128.6 Million
Louisiana Powerball $191 Million
Maine Lotto America $3.1 Million
Maryland Powerball $731.1 Million
Massachusetts Powerball $758.7 Million
Michigan Mega Millions $1.05 Billion
Minnesota Powerball $229 Million
Mississippi Match 5 $524,000
Missouri Powerball $192.4 Million
Montana Powerball $48.5 Million
Nebraska Powerball $365 Million
New Hampshire Powerball $559.7 Million
New Jersey Powerball $553 Million
New Mexico Powerball $206.9 Million
New York Mega Millions $432 Million
North Carolina Powerball $344.6 Million
North Dakota Mega Millions $3 Million
Ohio Mega Millions $372 Million
Oklahoma Powerball $105.8 Million
Oregon Powerball $340 Million
Pennsylvania Mega Millions $516 Million
Puerto Rico Powerball $127 Million
Rhode Island Powerball $336.4 Million
South Carolina Mega Millions $1.537 Billion
South Dakota Powerball $232.1 Million
Tennessee Powerball $420.9 Million
Texas Mega Millions $227 Million
US Virgin Islands Powerball $2 Million
Vermont Megabucks $12.5 Million
Virginia Mega Millions $239 Million
Washington Mega Millions $190 Million
Washington, D.C. Powerball $144 Million
Wisconsin Powerball $768.4 Million
Wyoming Mega Millions $5 Million

Which State Has the Least Lottery Winners

Some states have not had a lottery winner from the Powerball and the Mega Millions. But, it is just a matter of time. Lottery winners will soon come from these states, provided that people keep playing the lottery. The states that have not won the Powerball or a Mega Millions jackpot are listed in the table below.

Conclusion: Which States Are the Luckiest for the Lottery?

The luckiest state is New York, followed by California and Indiana. Some states are luckier than others and have had more jackpot lottery winners. They have the most lottery winners in both the Powerball and the Mega Millions. The table below contains an overview of the luckiest states in the country.

State Powerball Winners Mega Millions Winners Total Number of Winners
New York 12 41 53
California 11 35 46
Indiana 39 2 41
New Jersey 11 24 35
Missouri 31 2 33

Based on the number of winners and winning tickets sold, some states appear to have a higher share of lottery luck. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the lottery is entirely random so no state enjoy preferential treatment. As a result, you should only play it as a form of entertainment rather than a reliable investment strategy.

FAQs

What state has the most winning lottery tickets?
The state that has the most winning lottery tickets is New York. It has 53 lottery winners, including 12 Powerball and 41 Mega Millions winners. California comes next with 46 winners and Indiana with 41 winners.

Why does the East Coast always win the lottery?
East Coast states like New York, New Jersey, and North Carolina have won half of the Powerball and Mega Millions prizes since 2019. However, it is important to know that the winning numbers are always random, and there is no way to determine what state wins the lottery. Factors that may influence what state wins the lottery may include the population of lottery players in the state, how long the state has had the lottery, neighboring states without the lottery, urban states, and religious beliefs.

Which state lottery has the best odds?
The state lotteries with the best odds in the United States are the Kansas 2by2, Texas Cash Five, and Florida Fantasy 5. They have the most favorable odds in the country. However, it is important to note that the best odds does not mean the best prizes. Their prizes are smaller compared to the bigger, more challenging lotteries.

Who was the largest state lottery winner ever?
The largest single-state lottery winner won $1.537 billion from the Mega Millions lottery in South Carolina. The lottery winner claimed the prize anonymously. Powerball paid out a larger jackpot ($1.59 billion), but it was shared by three people.

What state has the most Mega Millions winners?

The state with the most Mega Millions winner is New York. There have been 41 winners in New York in its 21 years of operation in the state. California comes next with 35 winners.

What state has the most Powerball winners?

The state with the most Powerball winners is Indiana. This state has recorded 39 winners since its launch in 1992. Missouri is a close second at 31 winners.

Omg!... IT's your lucky day!
US Powerball

USD 935 Million

Next draw: Saturday, Mar 30, 2024