A Timeline of the Biggest Lotteries in Europe and America

December 8, 2017 0

Here is the history of several of the biggest Europe and America lotteries.

Table of Contents

The Powerball

It was first drawn in the year 1992 in April, having developed from a previous game known as Lotto America. More states in the U.S. joined over the years. In the year 2010, Mega Millions and Powerball reached an agreement in which the state lotteries could provide tickets for the two games in contrast with one or the other.

All jackpots were initially paid as an annuity only spread over two decades, but in the year 1997, that changed to two decades and a half and that option was added for taking a cash lump sum that was reduced. Currently, the annuity stands at thirty payments over twenty-nine years.

The largest ever jackpot in Powerball was 1.58 billion dollars and was shared among three ticket holders, from Tennessee, Florida, and California. The three winners chose the cash option, and they picked up prizes worth 327.8 million dollars each before tax.

The Mega Millions

It was started in the year 2002; it rose from The Big Game ashes, which started in the year 1996. In 2003, TX joined the lottery and introduced the Megaplier. The Megaplier multiplies any prize of the non-jackpot. The feature was slowly added across the United States over the next several years, with forty-four of the forty-five jurisdictions who are playing the Mega Millions offering Megaplier currently.

Initially, prizes were paid by a 20-annual-payment annuity only, which has currently changed to an option between a reduced cash sum or thirty payments over twenty-nine years. On October 2013, the game matrix changed to make the odds of winning a prize better and bump up the jackpot value.

The biggest-ever Mega Millions jackpot was also the largest lottery prize in the world, three ticket holders in Maryland, Illinois, and Kansas, split 656 million dollars (474 million dollars cash), all opting for the cash option.

SuperEnalotto

It's an Italian lottery, which started in the year 1997 as a successor to the Enalotto. SuperEnalotto were originally formed by taking the initial numbers drawn in a total of six regional lotteries. The Venetian lottery provided the Jolly number.

In the year 2009, that was changed with two draws currently happening, one for the Jolly number as well as the main numbers and the other one for the Superstar number.

A syndicate having one ticket scooped the biggest-ever prize of the game in October 2010, which was 177.7 million euros, accumulated after a total of eight months of rollovers.

Some of the Lottery Timeline of the United Kingdom

Lotto

On November 19, 1994, the first Lotto draw ever, called The National Lottery during that time was held.

Lotto

On June 10, 1995, Business partners Paul Maddison and Mark Gardiner from St Leonards, East Sussex, England won the biggest Lotto prize ever on one ticket when they claimed 22.5 million pounds.

Lotto

On January 6, 1996, the largest Lotto jackpot that has been ever won, which was 42 million pounds was shared among three anonymous ticket holders. Each holder won 14 million pounds.

Lotto
On February 5, 1997, a Wednesday Lotto draw was introduced.