The next largest jackpot was also a Powerball prize, at $1.586 billion on Jan. 8, 2022, with the winning ticket sold in California. The largest - a whopping $2.04 billion - was a Powerball jackpot that hit on Nov. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST JACKPOTS EVER WON IN AMERICA? Mega Millions followed two years later, lengthened the odds of winning the top prize from 1 in 258.9 million to 1 in 302.6 million. In 2015, the Powerball lottery lengthened the odds of winning from 1 in 175.2 million to 1 in 292.2 million. The credit for such big jackpots comes down to math - and more difficult odds. WHY ARE LOTTERY JACKPOTS SO LARGE THESE DAYS?
