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Excitement is building as another enormous lottery jackpot is on the horizon, offering players a chance to make history. However, the anonymity of the eventual winner will vary based on their location.
The Powerball jackpot has increased yet again after no ticket matched all six numbers in Monday night’s draw—5, 18, 26, 47, 59, and a red Powerball of 1. As a result, the prize for Wednesday’s draw has now escalated to an estimated $775 million, with a cash option worth $362.5 million.
This jackpot has been accumulating since September when two lucky tickets shared a staggering $1.79 billion prize. Currently, this Powerball sum is the eighth-largest in the game’s history and stands as the 17th-largest when considering both Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots.
Here’s a look at the top 10 largest Powerball jackpots ever claimed:
- $2.04 billion: Nov. 7, 2022; California
- $1.787 billion: Sept. 6, 2025; Missouri, Texas
- $1.765 billion: Oct. 11, 2023; California
- $1.586 billion: Jan. 13, 2016; California, Florida, Tennessee
- $1.326 billion: April 6, 2024; Oregon
- $1.08 billion: July 19, 2023; California
- $842.4 million: Jan. 1, 2024; Michigan
- Est. $775 million: Current
- $768.4 million: March 27, 2019; Wisconsin
- $758.7 million: Aug. 23, 2017; Massachusetts
In addition, this jackpot ranks as the fourth-largest of the year, trailing by approximately $20 million behind the huge Mega Millions prize that was claimed in Georgia last month.
Whenever the prize is won, the winner (or winners) will join the growing list of lucky lottery players. Depending on where that winner lives will determine whether or not we find out who they are.
While experts typically encourage lottery winners to keep their victory a secret for as long as possible, several states are legally required to at least disclose the winner’s name.
In California, disclosure laws require the winner’s full name and where they purchased the ticket to be released. In Colorado, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin, a winner’s name and hometown are made public.
New Mexico’s lottery states that they are required to release nearly all public records — including a lottery winner’s name, city of residence, and prize amount — when requested. Idaho also considers this information “public record.”
Having your name released is optional in Kentucky, a state lottery spokesperson previously told Nexstar’s WEHT.
The name, home state, and hometown of winners in Tennessee can be obtained with a records request. The Iowa Lottery says it is impossible for winners to remain anonymous when claiming prizes, while the Louisiana Lottery warns that, “depending upon the amount won and public or media interest in the win, winners may NOT be able to remain anonymous.”
Florida and Arizona withhold the names of those who win more than $250,000 and $100,000, respectively, for 90 days. In the latter, the winner can remain anonymous forever, but their city and county of residence will be released.
In Illinois, winners of $250,000 or more can request to have their name and hometown be kept confidential. In North Carolina, winners of more than $600 don’t retain their anonymity, according to Nexstar’s WAVY.
In Minnesota, winners of more than $10,000 can opt to remain anonymous, but those winning $10,000 or less cannot. Winners of state-level games in Michigan who score more than $10,000 are granted anonymity. For multi-state games like Powerball, the state lottery defers to the game’s rules, which say winners can be named publicly.
In Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, players who win more than $1 million can remain anonymous.
Some degree of anonymity is afforded to winners in other states:
- Delaware: Winners are allowed to remain anonymous, regardless of prize size.
- Kansas: Winners in Kansas can request to remain anonymous.
- Maryland: In most cases, winners can remain anonymous.
- Mississippi: The state lottery won’t identify a winner unless they have given written consent.
- Missouri: Your name is only released if you give the lottery written consent.
- Montana: Your name is not released, but where you live may be.
- New Jersey: Winners can choose to remain anonymous.
- North Dakota: Winners have the option to remain anonymous.
- South Carolina: A winner in South Carolina can remain anonymous, despite efforts to change that.
- Wyoming: Winners can remain anonymous or give permission to the state’s lottery to share some information.
If your state doesn’t give you the option to remain anonymous, you may instead be able to claim your jackpot winnings via a trust. In most cases, the name of that trust will be publicly available.
Robert Pagliarini, author of “The Sudden Wealth Solution,” previously told Nexstar that it may be best for a jackpot winner to tell only one trusted family member about their victory. From there, he recommends staying out of the public eye whenever possible.
If you’re lucky enough to win the Powerball jackpot, or any large lottery prize, it’s best to consult your team of experts or local lottery for additional guidance.
Powerball is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Drawings are held every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. ET, and your odds of landing the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million.