The lotto fever seizes the whole world whenever the American lottery giants reach one of their awesome peaks, displaying colossal jackpots that already passed the half billion dollars. Each such prize creates not only brand new millionaires, but also amazing stories, some of them successful, others with a less optimistic end.

$1.58 billion – Powerball

Yes, you have read it right! This is how big the US Powerball jackpot got so far. No wonder Powerball was one of the hottest Google queries in 2016. This happened in January 2016 and three lucky ticket holders shared this gigantic prize. Marvin and Mae Acosta from Chino Hills, California said they were feeling “thankful and blessed for the rare gift” Lady Luck placed in their hands. Lisa and John Robinson from Munford, Tennessee were “overwhelmed and exciting” when they arrived at Tennessee Lottery headquarters in Nashville to claim their piece of the pie. The third winner was a woman from Florida, but she decided not to reveal her identity.

$656 million – Mega Millions

The world’s record jackpot belongs to Mega Millions, and dates from March 30th, 2012. No other lottery has managed to get to such epic proportions since, although, truth be told, Powerball tried quite a few times. The $656 million was split among three lucky ticket holders. The first of them were claiming their share of the prize of $218.6 million on Friday, April 6th. As they are Kansas residents, they could choose not to reveal their identity.

The other two slices of this huge jackpot went to a Maryland syndicate and to a couple from Illinois. The three Maryland winners were all working as school teachers at the moment they became multi-millionaires. They dubbed themselves “The Three Amigos”, cashed in the prize and continued to be friends, but now they see life through different lenses.

Last, but not least, the Illinois winners were Merle and Patricia Butler. They decided to get their share of the prize as a lump sum, which returned as a $111 million net worth fortune.

$648 million – Mega Millions

Although Powerball seems to be a lot more dynamic, making the headlines of the lottery world on a regular basis, Mega Millions is the one holding the largest jackpots in its portfolio. Its second biggest prize features an amount of $648 million and it was won by two ticket holders containing the lucky numbers 8, 14, 17, 20, 39 and Mega Ball 7 for the draw of December 17th 2013. Just in time for Christmas, the 56 year old Ira Curry from Stone Mountain, Georgia, and the Californian town San Jose resident, Steve Tran.

$590.5 million – Powerball

Third in the list of top US lottery jackpots, this prize is actually a real winner: it’s the largest lottery jackpot ever won on a single ticket. The 86 years old now Gloria McKenzie from Zephyrhills, Florida took this fortune home, and it certainly changed her life. After giving her living conditions a real boost by purchasing a sea facing cottage in Jacksonville, the lucky multi-millionaire decided to share her wealth with others. She donated part of the money to repair the leaking roof of the school in her native town. The press also mentioned her paying for the bill of everyone present in a pizzeria one evening.

How you can join the ranks of American lottery winners

What would you do if you won such an amount of money? Just take a few seconds to think! You can certainly come up with a whole list of dreams. Now you also have access to a chance to see these dreams coming true. Thanks to the lottery tickets services provider, theLotter, you can now try your luck at the US lottery jackpots from wherever you even making a step out of your home.

And, you would not be the first one to take advantage of this service! In December 2015, an Iraqi guy was raising tons of questions when he came forward to claim his $6.4 million Oregon MegaBucks prize. Was his ticket real? Was the service used legit? Is it possible to keep his identity away from the public eye? The answers came, one after the other: his ticket was purchased legally from an official retailer and using a valid method of purchase. The Oregon Lottery officials even agreed to allow him to remain anonymous and the lucky winner scooped his prize, returning to his native country as a rich man.

A few months later, when the Powerball jackpot was rising towards the sky, Canadians were flocking to theLotter to grab their tickets and make sure they stand a chance to win a piece of the awesome jackpot. While he did not manage to put his hands on the top prize, a guy from El Salvador was lucky enough to win the second prize, scooping $1 million. A Canadian followed his example in February 2016, while a guy from the land of Down Under cashed the same amount in October the same year.