Throwback to 2016: The Record-Breaking 1.58 Billion Powerball Jackpot
On January 13th 2016, three players made lottery history when they shared the colossal $1.58 billion Powerball jackpot, with a cash-lump sum value of $983.5 million. It remains the biggest jackpot in the history of the game and the largest lottery prize paid out worldwide.
The three winning ticket holders were from California, Florida and Tennessee. They managed to match the five main numbers – 4, 8, 19, 27, 34 and Powerball 10 to win home $528.8 million, although all three took the cash lump sum of $327.8 million before taxes.
John and Lisa Robinson of Munford in Tennessee were the first to come forward, just days after the drawing was held. They admitted they almost didn’t purchase the lottery ticket which won them a share of the 1.58 billion jackpot.
21:15 - IT’S A ROLLOVER! The jackpot has not been won tonight.
David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith from Melbourne Beach in Florida stepped forward the following month. Kaltschmidt said they planned on working with charities and to invest the prize winnings.
Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills, California were the final ticket holders to claim their winnings in July 2016. The couple added "We are thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care".
In total, there were more than 26 million winning tickets sold for the record-breaking draw and the total prizes won by all tickets was worth more than an extraordinary $1.9 billion. The draw made headlines across the globe and it was revealed that Powerball made the top 10 most popular Google search terms in 2016, ahead of the Olympics and the late David Bowie.
Since the January 13th drawing, the highest jackpot amount has not surpassed $487 million, which was won after 24 rollovers on July 30th by a single ticket holder from New Hampshire. Will 2017 be the year that beats this record-breaking draw?
Page Last Updated: 10/26/2018 10:16:35 AM ET