The location where the winning Powerball ticket was sold is often a hot topic after a large jackpot is won. People are curious to know exactly where the lucky ticket was purchased. This article will provide details on where recent Powerball jackpots have been won and more broadly look at states where winners have traditionally been concentrated.
Where was the most recent Powerball jackpot won?
The most recent Powerball jackpot winner was announced on November 7, 2022. The winning ticket for the $2.04 billion jackpot was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California. The retailer that sells a winning ticket receives a prize as well, usually $1 million or more depending on the game and jackpot size. For selling this record-breaking Powerball ticket, Joe’s Service Center received a $1 million retailer bonus.
California Powerball Winners
Despite being the most populous state in the U.S., California has not had an extensive history of producing Powerball winners. This jackpot marks only the second time the state has ever had a jackpot winner since Powerball expanded in 2009. The previous win was a $528 million jackpot sold in Chino Hills in 2016.
The reason for fewer California winners has been the relative late adoption of Powerball in the state. Powerball has been played in most other states since the 1990s, but California only voted to approve the game in 2013. With a shorter history in the multi-state lottery, there were fewer Powerball winners from California until more recent years.
Altadena, California
The city of Altadena, California is located in Los Angeles County, approximately 14 miles north of downtown L.A. It is an unincorporated area adjacent to the city of Pasadena. This predominantly residential community has a population of approximately 43,000. Now Altadena can claim to be the home of California’s second ever Powerball jackpot winner.
Where have recent billion-dollar jackpot winners been sold?
Looking back at some of the biggest Powerball jackpots, here is a list of retail locations that sold the winning tickets for recent billion-dollar-plus jackpot prizes:
| Jackpot Amount | Winning Location | City, State |
|---|---|---|
| $2.04 billion | Joe’s Service Center | Altadena, CA |
| $1.586 billion | Speedway | New Berlin, WI |
| $1.537 billion | Albertsons | Morro Bay, CA |
| $1.05 billion | Altura Exxon | Altura, MN |
As this list demonstrates, even massive jackpot winning tickets can be sold at modest neighborhood retailers, gas stations and grocery stores. Certainly, the most recent California jackpot winner challenges the myth that winning tickets are more likely to be sold in specific types of stores.
Wisconsin Powerball Luck
With winners in both 2022 and 2023, Wisconsin has proven to be a lucky state for Powerball jackpots recently. The $1.586 billion ticket in November 2022 was sold at a Speedway gas station in New Berlin. Even more remarkably, just a few months prior in April 2022, a $632 million jackpot was won by purchases in Wausau at a Citgo station.
Beyond these two banner years, Wisconsin also had Powerball jackpot wins in 2006, 2008 and 2012. The state seems to have a knack for producing big lottery winners.
California’s First Billion-Dollar Ticket
Prior to the Altadena ticket this November, California’s only other billion-dollar Powerball winner was a newly formed trust that claimed a $1.537 billion prize in July 2022. That lucky ticket was purchased at Albertsons supermarket in Morro Bay. The coastal city on the central California coast was home to fewer than 11,000 residents at the time.
California lottery officials noted that Powerball ticket sales increased dramatically leading up to that record July 2022 drawing. It marked the first time a winning billion-dollar ticket was ever sold in the state.
States with the Most Powerball Jackpot Winners
Zooming out from the biggest recent prizes, which states have had the most Powerball jackpot winners over the entire history of the game? The lottery results track quite closely with population size.
| State | Total Jackpot Winners | Population Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 39 | 17 |
| Missouri | 31 | 18 |
| Minnesota | 22 | 22 |
| Kentucky | 19 | 26 |
| Florida | 19 | 3 |
Indiana, while only the 17th most populous state, has had far and away the most jackpot winners with 39. This amounts to over double the next state, Missouri. Experts attribute Indiana’s success to having a high per capita rate of lottery ticket sales.
Minnesota and Kentucky also overperform their population size when it comes to Powerball wins. Meanwhile, the third most populous state Florida lines up more expectedly with 19 jackpot wins.
Lottery Hot Spots
Certain regions seem to pop up repeatedly on the Powerball map for jackpot wins. The Midwest is definitely an area of good fortune when it comes to lottery luck. Beyond Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota are all among the top 10 states in per capita Powerball winners.
The area around the Maryland-Pennsylvania border has also produced a disproportionate number of jackpot tickets. And clusters of winners can also be found in Georgia and North Carolina.
Experts hypothesize that strong lottery participation in these areas leads to more jackpot chances. The odds of winning remain astronomically low regardless, but sustained, enthusiastic player bases in places like Indiana and Missouri increase the likelihood of Powerball winners.
California and New York Trailing
Despite being the two most populous states, California and New York lag far behind other states in total Powerball jackpot wins. Prior to 2022, California had only produced two jackpot winners in Powerball history. And to date, New York has still only seen four winners ever.
With lottery games like Powerball just recently expanding in California, there are fewer long-time players there compared to other states. And in New York, lottery frenzy is focused more on in-state games over Powerball.
But both states now seem to be catching lottery fever based on soaring ticket sales. So we may see more winners from these mega states over the next few years.
Retailers That Have Sold Multiple Winning Tickets
Some retailers appear to be especially lucky outlets for Powerball tickets. Here are a few stores that have sold multiple winning jackpot tickets:
| Retailer | Location | Number of Winning Tickets Sold |
|---|---|---|
| Henley’s | Florida | 3 |
| Coney Market | Kentucky | 3 |
| Billy’s | Oklahoma | 2 |
| Naifeh’s Grocery | Oklahoma | 2 |
A Henley’s convenience store in Florida sold a Powerball jackpot ticket three separate times, in 2006, 2013 and 2016. Meanwhile, a Coney Market store in Kentucky sold three winners in 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Powerball retailers usually receive a bonus when they sell a winning jackpot ticket. So stores with multiple big winners have earned a nice windfall over the years.
What Makes a Lucky Store?
Retailers with recurring Powerball luck tend to be located in areas with devoted lottery players. But beyond location, busy stores with steady customer traffic naturally see more lottery sales. Outside factors like attention from a jackpot win and local superstitions likely drive more customers to buy tickets at stores that have already sold winners.
Of course, every ticket has the same odds of winning, regardless of where it was purchased. Hitting the jackpot more than once comes down to chance more than anything else. But certain stores seem to attract those lucky chance occasions at higher frequency.
Utah’s Lucky Retailers
Although Utah has fairly low per capita lottery play compared to other states, two stores there can claim selling two Powerball jackpot wins each. A Maverik gas station and an Albertsons grocery store each sold winning tickets twice over the years, despite Utah’s limited Powerball participation.
For a number of years, Utah lottery laws prohibited multi-state games. Residents would drive to neighboring states like Idaho and Wyoming to purchase Powerball tickets. So the winning tickets sold in Utah likely represent savvy residents crossing state lines in search of big jackpots.
States That Have Never Had a Jackpot Winner
With lottery fever spreading more than ever before, most states can now claim a Powerball jackpot winner at some point in the game’s history. But there are still a few holdouts that have yet to sell that elusive big winning ticket:
- Arkansas
- Delaware
- Mississippi
- Utah
- Wyoming
The lack of winners in Arkansas, Delaware and Mississippi may be partly tied to their relatively small populations. With fewer ticket sales, the odds are stacked against them. Utah and Wyoming have limited lottery participation overall, which also helps explain the blank history.
New States Joining Powerball
Over the past decade, Powerball has expanded to more U.S. states and jurisdictions than ever before. Most recently, Puerto Rico began offering Powerball in October 2022.
Other newcomers over the past 10 years include Wyoming, Maine, South Dakota, Idaho, Virgin Islands, North Dakota and U.S. Virgin Islands. Almost every state with a lottery now takes part in Powerball mania.
As more states join with more players, the game’s payouts have soared to new highs. Of course the flip side is decreased odds, since more tickets translate to less chance of winning.
State Lottery Decisions
Powerball’s expansion across the country was not always smooth or immediate. Some states operated their own local lottery games for decades before joining the multi-state drawings.
And a few holdouts like Utah initially banned Powerball entirely. State lottery decisions boil down to a combination of public interest, gaming regulations and revenue considerations.
But ever-growing, record-shattering jackpots have a way of swaying public and state sentiment. The lure of billion-dollar winnings eventually overpowered most state lottery objections.
Biggest Powerball Jackpots
With lottery fever at an all-time high, Powerball jackpots continue to break mind-blowing records. Here are the top 10 biggest Powerball jackpots to date:
| Amount | Drawing Date |
|---|---|
| $2.04 billion | November 7, 2022 |
| $1.586 billion | January 13, 2016 |
| $768.4 million | March 27, 2019 |
| $758.7 million | August 23, 2017 |
| $731.1 million | January 20, 2021 |
| $699.8 million | October 4, 2021 |
| $687.8 million | October 27, 2018 |
| $632.6 million | January 5, 2022 |
| $590.5 million | May 18, 2013 |
| $587.5 million | November 28, 2012 |
The staggering $2.04 billion jackpot won in November 2022 took the Powerball record to a whole new level. Prior to that drawing, 2016’s $1.586 billion prize held the previous record. Both jackpots far exceeded the billion dollar mark.
As the lottery has expanded, jackpots have soared higher and higher over the past decade. Drawings frequently crossed the half billion threshold that was once unimaginable.
Billion-Dollar Drawings
While the billion-dollar jackpot club was exclusive for years, it expanded dramatically starting in 2016. The 13 jackpots listed above all topped $500 million, with the top six surpassing a mind-blowing $1 billion.
Low odds of winning mean giant prizes rollover again and again. When combined with frenzied ticket sales, pools can rapidly escalate to astronomical sums like 2022’s $2.04 billion.
Filling Out the Top 10
Behind the two biggest jackpots ever, the remainder of the top 10 is populated with other drawings from the recent high-stakes lottery era. All 10 of these Powerball records have occurred since 2012.
A noticeable gap exists between the top two and the rest of the list. Third place is still an amazing $768.4 million, but far short of the billion-dollar peaks.
Experts speculate that if the game keeps trending this way, the $2 billion record may fall again before too many more years pass.
Conclusion
In summary, winning Powerball tickets can crop up anywhere. But over the history of the lottery, certain states and retailers have sold an outsized share of jackpot prizes. Population and lottery participation heavily influence a state’s Powerball success. Though on the individual ticket level, dumb luck remains the definitive factor.
As Powerball reaches new heights, a lucky winner could emerge from any participating spot. But the geographic patterns to date show Midwestern states and smaller population locations as disproportionate Powerball winners.
The next time a massive jackpot generates headlines, use this background to inform your speculation on where the coveted winning ticket may have been purchased.
