Powerball Ticket Worth $2 Million Sold In Puerto Rico, Home Of America’s First Modern Lottery

Nobody won Monday night’s Powerball jackpot — numbers 2, 40, 47, 53, 55, and a red Powerball of 20 — but two people did hit all five white balls, and both of those ticket buyers purchased the Power Play multiplier, which came in at 2x.

Translation: Two people took home $2 million each. One of those tickets was sold in Arizona, and the other was sold in Puerto Rico.

Now here’s a fun didja know: It was in Puerto Rico — not mainland USA — where America’s first modern lottery was launched.

It was back in 1934, according to a Smithsonian Magazine article, when the territory was grappling with a pair of devastating hurricanes, severe economic depression, and a tuberculosis crisis that was five times worse than anything on the mainland.

Maria Luisa Arcelay, the island’s first female legislator, championed the controversial lottery bill to fund public health initiatives, despite mainland Americans being barred from participating due to federal restrictions. (Lotteries were banned in 1895 by Congress.) 

That lottery in Puerto Rico proved successful, generating $350,000 annually by 1938 to combat tuberculosis. 

And now you know.

At any rate, after nobody claimed the jackpot on Monday, Wednesday’s Powerball drawing is up to an estimated $69 million, with a $30.7 million cash value.

Lottery Geeks estimates 6.5 million tickets were sold for Monday’s draw.

Mega Millions produces millionaires too

In a similar story, nobody won last Friday’s Mega Millions drawing — numbers 8, 12, 43, 52, 62, with a yellow Mega Ball of 18 — but one ticket-buyer in Texas matched all five white balls, bought the Megaplier (which came in at 2x), and thus took home a $2 million prize.

Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing is worth an estimated $44 million, with a $19.5 million cash value.

Lottery Geeks estimates 8.6 millon tickets were sold for Friday’s drawing.

Tickets for either lottery cost $2, with most states offering the multiplier option — which impacts any prize won except the jackpot — for an additional $1.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

All-time biggest jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California