$758.7 Million Jackpot Won on a Single Ticket in Massachusetts

The jackpot of $758.7 million is the highest jackpot Powerball has seen since the famous draw in January 2016 that broke new ground with an unprecedented top prize of $1.58 billion. The jackpot that day was split between three ticket holders, each taking home $528.8 million. Because of this, the draw on August 23rd will go down as the highest jackpot won on a single ticket and the biggest lottery prize ever awarded to one single person.

The jackpot was originally announced at $650 million following the draw on Saturday 19th, but was raised to $700 million a few days before the draw. On draw night, it was finally announced to be $758.7 million after a mad dash for tickets saw lines form all the way out of shopping malls and out of local grocery store doors. 

The winning ticket was sold at Pride Station and Store, located at 27 Montgomery St. in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Mavis Wanczyk, 53, was announced as the single winner on the ticket lunchtime on Thursday 24th August, and said "I had a pipe dream.. and it came true" regarding her win. Ms Wanczyk previosuly worked at a medical centre for the last 32 years, but was quick to announce that she had quit her job and intended to "...just sit back and relax". The lucky numbers for Ms Wanczyk were chosen based on relatives birthdays, something that is not uncommon for lottery wins when the numbers are all below 31 as in this case.

Ms Wanczyk now has the choice between taking the annuity jackpot over the next 30 years or a cash lump sum of $480.5 million. Historically, these jackpots have always been claimed as a lump sum, but that’s not to say this draw could be different.

Further details about the winner will be announced as they are released, so keep checking our news page for any more details. If you want to find more details about the draw, including all the draw payouts and prizes, then just check the results page here.