Remember These Minnesotans Who Won the Powerball Jackpot?
The Powerball jackpot is now worth $1 billion, and many of us here in Minnesota are once again dreaming big. But some of us have already won big. From life-changing jackpots to unforgettable lottery legends, these Minnesotans already know what it feels like to turn a simple ticket into instant fortune.
The Powerball lottery has been around for a long time-- it just celebrated its 30th anniversary a few years ago, in April of 2022-- and has given away a LOT of money. According to the official Powerball website, since its creation in 1992, Powerball has raised $27 billion for "good causes supported by lotteries," the site says.
Minnesota Powerball Winners Have Already Won Millions
The Powerball lottery is currently played here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes along with 43 other states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. But not all states have had the same number of winners. Due to their large populations, it makes sense that states like California and New York have had a decent share of Powerball winners.
SEE ALSO: Record $34 Million Lottery Ticket Sold in Minnesota
But when it comes to winning the Powerball, don't sleep on the North Star State. In fact, the Minnesota Lottery announced that winning Powerball tickets for the July 28th drawing were sold in Wrenshall and Blue Earth and were worth $50,000 each.
Not to be outdone, a winning Gopher 5 ticket worth $1,507,682 was sold at Cub Foods in Burnsville on July 24th. And, an incredible Lotto America ticket worth a whopping $15,154,248 was sold at a Holiday Station Store in Coon Rapids on July 28th!
Minnesota's $1 Billion Powerball Jackpot Could Create a New Winner
Will another Minnesotan be added to that list? It's possible, as the Powerball jackpot for the Wednesday, August 12th, 2026, drawing is now at $1 billion! That would be a $433 million cash payout if you were the only winner and took the cash option!
Finding out specifically *who* won those prizes, though, and any other big lottery prizes, is now a little trickier in the North Star State, thanks to a new law that went into effect in September of 2021. According to the Minnesota Lottery, the 2021 law now allows lottery winners of cash prizes greater than $10,000 to keep their names—and their cities—private, unless they explicitly opt in to publicity.
The names and cities of lottery prize winners above $10,000 in Minnesota are automatically considered private data unless a winner chooses to opt in to publicity.
However, for the 29 years between 1992 and 2021, we *do* know just which Minnesotans hit it big by winning the Powerball jackpot. Take a look at who they are and how much they won:
Here Are The Largest Powerball Winners Ever in Minnesota
Meet the Minnesotans Who Won the State’s Biggest Powerball Jackpots
Gallery Credit: troy dunken
But here's the thing: Powerball says the overall odds of winning ANY prize are just 1 in 24.9 (which is pretty good, right?), but the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. It doesn't hurt to dream, though, right?
