Despite the odds of winning the lottery being somewhat slim, millions of people across the world spend their hard-earned cash on tickets each week in the hope of hitting the jackpot.
For those that do get lucky, a lottery win can provide the opportunity to upsize their home, quit their job or simply take a bit of a break.
But for those that really hit the big time, the winnings can be truly life-changing. From a delighted delivery driver to a nationwide televised festive draw and a US jackpot prize of more than $1 billion (£760m), here are the biggest lottery jackpots of all time.
6) $648 million (£490m) on Mega Millions, USA, 2013
Steve Tran, of northern California, took over a fortnight to realise he was one of two ticket-holders to win the $648 million (£490m) Mega Millions jackpot on 17 December 2013. Having delayed checking his numbers due to being on holiday, one of the first things the delivery driver did upon realising he was a winner was call his boss.
His message said: “I’m really sorry boss. I hit the jackpot. I don’t think I’m going to come in today, tomorrow, or ever.”
Tran split the jackpot with Ira Curry, from Stone Mountain, Georgia. She had come forward to collect her prize within 24 hours of the draw, saying she was going to take her time to think about what she would do with her winnings. Very little has been heard from her since.
5) $656 million (£496m) on Mega Millions, USA, 2012
Three winning tickets shared the $656 million (£496m) Mega Millions jackpot of 29 March 2012, but only couple Merle and Patricia Butler, of Red Bud, Illinois, made themselves known publicly. Describing themselves as everyday people who “just happened to hit it big in the lottery”, they swore to be smart in spending it and vowed to use the funds to do some good.
The other lucky ticket-holders sharing the mega-prize were in two of just eight US states where lottery winners can choose to remain anonymous. Three school employees in Maryland claimed their share of the jackpot under the name of the “The Three Amigos”, while the third winner in Kansas chose to conceal their identity altogether.
4) $758.7 million (£574.1m) on Powerball, USA, 2017
On winning the $758.7 million (£574.1m) Powerball jackpot on 23 August 2017, Mavis L Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts, immediately changed her life.
She quit her hospital job of 32 years and spoke to the press within 24 hours, telling them she planned to take some time off and relax. She took a lump sum for the prize, accepting a payout of $480.5 million (£364m) before taxes. At the time, the jackpot was the largest grand prize won by a single person in the history of US lotteries.
3) €680 million ($767m/£580m) on ‘El Gordo’, Spain, 2018
The Spanish Christmas Lottery is famous for being the world’s biggest lottery and has run every single year since 1812, even throughout the Spanish Civil and under the Franco regime. The draw on 22 December each year has become an integral part of Spanish culture.
In 2018, a total prize pot of €2.38 billion ($2.69bn/£2.03bn) was up for grabs across a series of different prizes. The top prize, “El Gordo” or “the Fat One”, was worth €680 million ($767m/£580m). People and groups up and down the country buy tickets, or fractions of tickets, numbered between 00000 and 99999, in the hope of winning a share of either El Gordo, or one of the lower prizes.
Each year the winning numbers are sung out by the children of San Ildefonso school in Madrid, with the televised live event lasting up to several hours. The jackpot is then split between all the winning ticket-holders.
2) $1.54 billion (£1.16bn) on Mega Millions, USA, 2018
The winner of the $1.54 billion (£1.16bn) Mega Millions jackpot from 23 October last year finally came forward on 4 March. The winning ticket was bought at KC Mart in Simpsonville, South Carolina but the winner has chosen to remain anonymous. What we do know is this is the biggest single prize in US lottery history and the winner has opted to take a one-off cash payment of $877,784,124 (£663.7m) rather than have it paid in instalments.
Those grateful that the winner has stepped forward include the state of South Carolina itself, which had reportedly originally included a $61 million (£46m) income tax windfall from the winner in its annual budget. It has since removed the estimate, which accounted for about 0.5% of its yearly spending plan.
And the KC Mart store owner will also pocket a cool $50,000 (£37,800) bonus from selling the winning ticket.
1) $1.59 billion (£1.20bn) on Powerball, USA, 2016
The world’s biggest-ever jackpot prize of $1.59 billion (£1.20bn) was won on the Powerball and split between three tickets. John and Lisa Robinson of Tennessee, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Florida, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of California each won a cash total of $327.8 million (£248m) in the draw on 13 January 2016.
The Robinsons bought four tickets at a grocery store in their home town of Munford – one to represent each member of their family. The moment John bought the winning ticket was even captured on CCTV. The couple initially said they would not let the money change their way of living, but they now reportedly live in a luxury home by a private lake with extensive views of the Tennessee landscape.
Meanwhile Florida winners Smith and Kaltschmidt said they’d “lost a lot of sleep” after winning their share. They carried on with their lives as normal while staying put in their $300,000 (£227,000) home, shopping at the same stores and eating in the same restaurants. The pair are even said to still buy Powerball tickets.
The Acostas bought their ticket at a 7-Eleven in their home town of Chino Hills, a suburb near Los Angeles, but didn’t come forward until six months after winning. After claiming their prize, the couple said they were “thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care” and vowed to commit most of it to a trust and chosen charities.
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