Powerball is currently played by 44 U.S states as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S Virgin Islands. Of the participating jurisdictions, Indiana currently leads the way when it comes to jackpot wins, with The Hoosier State producing 39 jackpot winners since the game was first introduced to the American public in April 1992. With a total of 360 players having landed the top prize to date, 10.8 percent of the multi-millionaires crowned have hailed from the Midwestern territory, making it by far the luckiest state to buy a ticket from.
Indiana’s closest rival sits just to the west in the form of Missouri, a state which is able to boast 31 wins in just over 25 years of Powerball play. In fact, in 2012 The Show-Me State managed to produce one of the two players who claimed one of the largest prizes in U.S history when Mark and Cindy Hill correctly matched all five numbers and the Powerball to collect a share of a $587.5 million jackpot; very lucky indeed.
While Indiana and Missouri may have jointly produced almost a fifth of all Powerball jackpot winners, when it comes to the very biggest prizes attention shifts to Tennessee, Florida and California. The trio of states were home to the three winners of the largest Powerball jackpot of all time as John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, David Kaltschmidt and Maureen Smith from Melbourne Beach and Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills successfully ended a run of 19 rollovers to scoop a share of a $1.58 billion reward in January 2016.
Naturally, where some states thrive, others fall short. Virginia, Washington and Arkansas have only ever generated one win each, while Maine, North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont and the U.S Virgin Islands are yet to produce any winners at all. However, with such a hefty sum on offer, that could all change very soon.
Of course, it doesn’t matter where you buy your ticket as every entry stands exactly the same chance of winning as any other. With that in mind, you can pick your numbers online or play through any authorised retailer ahead of tonight’s $700 million draw. Don’t miss out!
