Hoosiers Have A Lucky Streak When It Comes To The Lottery

Posted on January 21, 2021

Hoosiers are historically lucky when it comes to winning the lottery.

Indiana gamblers have won the Powerball more times than players from any other state.

Indiana has 39 Powerball wins, which accounts for about 10% of the jackpots in the game’s history. Missouri’s 31 wins are the only other mark that comes close to Indiana.

However, despite having the most wins in Powerball history, Hoosiers haven’t been able to get their hands on most of the larger jackpots.

That remained the case on Jan. 20, when a Maryland gambler won the Powerball’s $730 million prize. That was the fourth-largest jackpot in Powerball history.

Indiana’s biggest Mega Millions jackpot

Most of the state’s wins have come from Indiana Powerball jackpots, but the state’s biggest win ever was a Mega Millions prize.

Back in 2016, one Indiana gambler managed to snag the game’s $536 million jackpot. The cash value of that prize was worth about $378 million.

That winning ticket was bought by a family at a gas station while they were on their way to their child’s sports game. The family went with the lump-sum payout option, and ended up taking home $271 million after taxes.

Nearly five years have gone by, and that’s still Indiana’s biggest lottery win of all time.

To this day, Hoosiers have only ever won two Mega Millions jackpots.

Indiana’s other win was a $93 million jackpot in 2011. A player from Munster, Indiana ended up splitting that prize with a player from Michigan.

The game didn’t make its way to Indiana until January 2010, so Hoosiers just haven’t been playing Mega Millions for as long as gamblers from other states.

Record Indiana Powerball jackpot

Indiana’s second-largest lottery win came from a Powerball jackpot in 2017.

A Purdue graduate ended up winning the $435 million prize.

The manufacturing plant worker chose to take his winnings as a lump-sum payment of $263 million. The final payout was about $189 million after taxes.

Indiana’s third-largest lottery win was also a Powerball jackpot, but all the way back in 2007. That $314 million prize had a cash value of $146 million before taxes.

Here’s a quick look at some of the state’s other big Powerball wins:

  • April 2011: $221 million
  • January 2009: $163 million
  • March 2004: $89 million
  • April 2011: $74 million

So even though many of the biggest jackpots in Powerball history have gone to players in other states, Indiana still has plenty of notable wins under its belt.

Mega Millions nears $1 billion

That 2016 Indiana Mega Millions win was the fifth-highest jackpot in the game’s history.

Despite that, it’s about to get knocked down a level.

The current Mega Millions jackpot is worth approximately $970 million. The next drawing is on Friday, Jan. 22.

If someone wins the jackpot on Friday, it will go down as the second-biggest prize in the game’s history. The largest was 2018’s insane $1.54 billion winner.

If no one wins the Mega Millions on Friday, the jackpot will keep building. It could end up being the biggest lottery jackpot of all time.

The record holder is 2016’s $1.59 billion Powerball jackpot.

But regardless of whether the current Mega Millions prize ends up being the biggest of all time or not, at least one lucky winner will end up with a life-changing amount of money.

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Jake Garza

Jake Garza is a US Gambling Industry Analyst for Catena Media. He specializes in Midwest sports betting and casino content. Prior to covering the legal gambling industry, he spent time as a professional sports writer, reporting on teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Pacers. Garza is currently working as a Managing Editor for PlayIndiana and PlayOhio, with previous stops at other well-known brands such as PlayIllinois and PlayMichigan. He has been covering the gambling industry since 2019, and currently works with a team of other journalists to provide comprehensive coverage of the legal U.S. gambling industry.

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