The Biggest Lottery Winners in India & Around the World (2024)

Do you love a good rags-to-riches story as much as we do? You've come to the right place! Read on as we share the biggest lottery winners in India and beyond, give you a lowdown of the top online lottery websites, and highlight the highest lottery prizes for Indians. Who knows — the next big winner might just be you!

Biggest Lottery Winners in India

Let's take a look at some of India’s biggest lottery winners, along with their part-inspiring-part-heartwarming stories below.

1. Hira Singh — ₹415 Crore

The biggest lottery winner in India to date! The renowned Mega Millions lottery dished out USD 50 million to Hira Singh in March 2019 for successfully the landing matching numbers 10, 12, 16, 49, and 57. The whole incident is particularly bizarre, as Singh didn't even know he had the winning ticket until several days later!

Despite the massive prize money, which was a whopping $50,000,000, the draw was actually one of the lowest Mega Millions jackpots ever.

2. Krishna Barri — ₹108.3 Crore

Krishna Barri, an Indian citizen, was residing in Tampa, Florida, when he won the state lottery. Though he won a massive $14.5 million, Barri did not go about spending it the way others probably would, i.e. purchasing real estate and splashing out on lavish vacations. Rather, he chose to use the windfall to pay for the education of a hundred disadvantaged Indian youngsters.

If this bit of information is true, we salute you, sir.

3. Balraj Awasthi — ₹95.6 Crore

Balraj won a huge state lottery that changed his life while he was employed as a professional chef in Toronto, Canada. After winning almost $12.8 million, Awasthi chose to use the money to launch his own company and tour mainland Europe and Australia.

4. Ushakiran Patel — ₹84 Crore

Ushakiran Patel is the fortunate winner of the $1 million (approx. ₹84 crore) US Powerball international lottery. After matching five numbers in the March 2018 lotto draw, the sixty-two-year-old Ushakiran took home the second prize. The numbers she won were 6, 13, 19, 36, and 51.

The fact that she chose her numbers arbitrarily (opting for the Powerball lottery's Quick-Choose function) is what makes it all the more special. And it goes to highlight the fact that a generous sprinkle of luck can never go wrong if you're to become one of India's biggest lottery winners.

5. Pragnesh Peter Saija — ₹58 crore

Just four days after Balraj Awasthi won $12.8 million, another Indian living in Canada, Pragnesh Peter Saija, won $7 million from the Daily Grand Lottery after buying a lottery ticket from a local shop.

His dream family home, complete with multiple bedrooms, a swimming pool, and a home cinema, was what he intended to purchase with his riches. A portion of his profits was also set aside to provide for his children's long-term care, as well as to finance any further education they may choose to pursue.

6. Munavar Fairoos — ₹44 Crore

Munavar Fairoos, a private driver from India who works in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, had an incredible start to the new year by winning the 20 million UAE dirhams (roughly ₹44 crore) jackpot at the Big Ticket Live draw on December 31. After purchasing tickets monthly for five years, he was stunned to hear of his enormous win!

7. Anoop — ₹25 Crore

This auto-rickshaw driver from Thiruvananthapuram wanted to go to Malaysia and pursue a career as a chef. He had applied for a loan in order to fund his studies; however, destiny had other plans.

In September 2022, just a day after his bank loan got approved, the then 25-year-old won the Onam bumper lottery in Kerala worth a whopping Rs 25 crores.

The funny part is that the winning ticket was not Anoop's first choice. He didn't like the first ticket he had purchased, prompting him to pick out another that eventually won. After deduction of taxes, Anoop took home net winnings worth ₹15 crores.

8. Sharafuddin — ₹12 Crore

A lottery ticket seller won the top prize of ₹12 crores in the 2021 Christmas New Year Bumper draw of the Kerala State Lottery. He had been working in Tenkasi, Tamil Nadu, when lady luck showered her blessings on him.

Every day, Sharafuddin would buy lottery tickets from the Bharani Lottery Agency, which he sold to customers. However, as fate would have it that day, he also had some unsold lottery ticket entries in his own batch, which included the winning ticket.

Sharafuddin, who had previously worked in construction, said he intended to invest the funds he had won.

9. Sadanandan — ₹12 Crore

Sadanandan, fondly called “Sadan”, won the ₹12-crore prize from the Kerala Christmas New Year Bumper BR-83 Lottery in 2022.

A painter residing in Kottayam, Sadanandan purchased the winning ticket with the serial number XG 218582 on the morning of the draw on January 16, 2022. Little did he know that that ticket would change his fortunes forever. After deducting income tax and the lottery agent's commission, Sadan received ₹7.39 crore. Now that's what you'd call a windfall!

10. Ananthu Vijayan — ₹12 Crore

Ananthu Vijayan, a temple worker from Kerala's Idukki, won the grand prize of ₹12 crores in the Thiruvonam Bumper Lottery on September 21, 2020. The 24-year-old at the time purchased the lottery ticket with the serial number TB173964 from a lottery agent a few days prior to the draw date.

When he received a call stating he had won the lottery, Vijayan thought someone was pranking him. Once the truth sank in, the young Ananthu said he planned to establish a business with his father and purchase a small house close to Ernakulam.

11. 6-Man Syndicate — ₹12 Crore

Imagine you and your buddies bought a lottery ticket together, and voilà, you hit the jackpot! Well, that's exactly what happened to a group of friends from Kerala. In 2019, six salesmen working in a jewellery shop won the grand prize of ₹12 crores — and it only cost them ₹600 each!

These friends formed a sextet of the biggest lottery winners in India. Humbly, though, they chose to continue working at their old job — but we do hope they're putting their massive winnings to good use.

12. Haritha Karma Sena — 10 crore

When M. Radha, a sanitation worker in the southern state of Kerala, learned she had won the lottery for ₹10 crore ($1.2 million), she was in disbelief. In June 2023, the 49-year-old, along with 10 of her co-workers, pooled in to purchase a ₹250 Monsoon Bumper Lottery ticket.

The 11 ladies in the group sort non-biodegradable rubbish at the Material Collection Facility in the municipality of Parappanangadi. The ladies have learned to dream big thanks to the windfall, but they have made the decision to stay on the payroll at the Haritha Karma Sena (Green Task Force), which the local government established in 2016 and is crucial to maintaining cleanliness in the state.

13. Nirmal Dhamodarasamy — ₹7.90 Crore

Usually, Dhamodarasamy, a graduate from the University of Illinois, Chicago, would go to the neighbourhood convenience store to purchase his Powerball ticket. But this time, he registered online via a neighbourhood sales representative and won a handsome $1 million.

At the time of his win, Dhamodarasamy was pursuing a master's degree in industrial engineering, and he intended to use part of his winnings to pay for his parents to travel from India to attend his graduation ceremony.

14. The Patels — ₹7.87 Crore

We bet ₹8 crores would change your life quite dramatically — well, that's how much Ashok and Kirti Patel won in 2008. Their ₹7.87 crore windfall was from a single lotto ticket, which proves that you really never know when your lucky number could come up!

15. M. Bensraj — ₹5.20 Crore

In 2002, the then 35-year-old M. Bensraj took part in the 14th Playwin Sikkim Super Lotto draw, one of India's biggest lotteries and also the first. The bumper prize of ₹5.20 crores made Bensraj the first crorepati from an online lottery in the country and undoubtedly one of the biggest Indian lottery winners to date.

While we have since seen many lottery winners from India, nobody can stake the claim to being the first online lottery crorepati.

Biggest Lottery Winners in the World

Now that we've discussed the winners, you're probably wondering whether the wins are as astounding abroad. While European prizes are similar, the United States has dropped some utterly insane prizes — literally billions of US dollars!

Here are five of the world’s biggest lottery winners:

1. Edwin Castro — $2.04 Billion

A short ride to a gas station in Altadena, California, turned miraculous for Edwin Castro in November 2022. Castro bought a Powerball ticket that won him a record-breaking jackpot of $2.04 billion last year. However, for reasons best known to him, he came forward to claim the jackpot only in February 2023 and took home a one-shot payout of $1 billion.

Castro refrained from sharing any more of his personal details, but one thing he was particularly happy about was that the California Public School system, where he had completed his primary education, had also received upwards of $150 million in this draw.

2. Anonymous — $1.765 Billion

In October 2023, a single Powerball ticket purchased in California won the second-largest lottery prize in the United States, valued at $1.765 billion. If it were paid out as cash rather than as an annuity, the value would be a $774.1 million lump sum before taxes. Theodorus Struyck had declared himself to be the agent for a group of people who were going to divide the jackpot in March 2024.

3. The Acosta’s & Co — $1.586 Billion

We couldn't possibly leave out the three winners of the world’s biggest jackpot lottery. In 2016, a monstrous $1.586 billion (₹12,577 crores on the day of writing) was shared between lucky Powerball participants in the U.S.

Marvin and Mae Acosta from California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt in Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson in Tennessee shared the jackpot, each getting an annuity worth approximately $533 million before taxes.

The Acosta's remained anonymous for a long time, but later went public.

4. Anonymous — $1.537 Billion (Mega Millions)

One of the highest lottery prizes in the world — the $1.537 billion Mega Millions jackpot in 2018 — was won through the purchase of a single ticket. The winning numbers 5, 28, 62, 65, and 70, with a Mega Ball of 5, were bought from a KC Mart gas station and convenience store outside Simpsonville in upstate South Carolina.

This marked one of the biggest jackpots ever won by a single ticket and the third-largest in the US, only behind the $2.04 billion and $1.586 billion Powerball jackpots won in 2022 and 2016, respectively. The winnings surpassed the previous Mega Millions jackpot record of $656 million, set in March 2012. The winner chooses to remain anonymous to this day.

5. Anonymous — $1.35 Billion (Mega Millions)

January 13th, a Black Friday, brought in good news as Mega Millions reached its second-highest jackpot size of $1.35 billion, won by a single ticket-holder the very same day in the town of Maine, USA. While the identity of the winner is not known yet, the winning combination of the ticket was 30-43-45-46-61, and a gold mega ball numbered 14.

Fun Fact: Although ostensibly considered unlucky by many, Black Fridays have thrown up seven jackpot winners to date.

6. Four-person Wolverine FLL Club — $1.05 Billion (Mega Millions)

The $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot, won by a lottery club in Oakland County, is the highest payout in the Michigan Lottery history.

The four-person Wolverine FLL Club owned the winning ticket, which matched the drawn numbers 04-26-42-50-60 in addition to the Mega Ball 24. Instead of receiving annuity payments for the whole amount, the club opted to receive their winnings as a one-time lump sum payment of around $776 million after taxes.

Is Online Lottery Legal in India?

The legality of a genuine online lottery in India is complicated and varies by state. There are several statutes that are pertinent to this matter:

The Public Gambling Act of 1867

Online lotteries are not specifically addressed by this act, which predates internet technology. It is mostly concerned with real-world casinos and table games.

The Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, & the Lotteries (Regulation) Rules, 2010

Subject to certain restrictions, this federal legislation permits state governments to plan, carry out, or encourage lotteries inside their borders. It does not, however, mention internet lotteries directly.

The Information Technology Act, 2000

This statute governs electronic commerce and has been used to restrict websites that offer online gambling services, even though it is not expressly about gambling.

State-Specific Regulations

Every state has its own regulations pertaining to land-based and online gambling and lotteries. As an example:

The Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), 1999

Due to its regulation of foreign exchange transactions, this act may have an impact on foreign online lottery participation.

Since international lotteries are conducted outside of India, players from every Indian state are able to participate regardless of the state's gaming regulations. It is further evident that the Public Gambling Act, 1867, or the Lotteries (Regulation) Act, 1998, do not mention online lotteries, and by that virtue, they are not prohibited in India.

You will find a link to what a High Court advocate has got to say on this matter on Kaanoon.com.

Top 10 Highest Lottery Prizes in India

While there are multiple state lotteries available for Indian players, the prize money on offer is not as grand as the international online lotteries. State-run lotteries and Dear Lottery, one of the top lottery companies in India, dish out handsome rewards. However, the money up for grabs at online lotteries is truly in a league of its own.

Here is a list of the top 10 highest lottery prizes in India:

How To Buy a Lottery Ticket in India

Buying a lottery ticket in India is not a problem, provided your state hasn’t banned the buying and selling of lotteries. You can simply purchase an offline lottery ticket (a paper lottery ticket) or participate in an online draw.

How To Buy an Online Lottery Ticket

How To Buy an Offline Lottery Ticket