Publix in Florida, Kroger in Michigan sold winning billion-dollar Powerball, Mega Millions tickets
Where shopping is a pleasure, indeed.
On three different occasions, a trip to the grocery store resulted in an unexpected surprise: winning lottery tickets for a billion-dollar jackpot.
"Publix, where shopping is a pleasure," rang true for not one, but two record-winning lottery winners in Florida. Meanwhile, a Kroger store in Michigan sold a lottery ticket that matched all six numbers to win one of the biggest lottery prizes of all time.
Some quick hits about Publix, Kroger and those record-setting jackpots:
Publix, which is based in Lakeland, Florida, is one of the largest grocery store chains in the Sunshine State.
Kroger, which is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is one of the largest retail grocery stores in the U.S.
From 2016 to Sept. 20, 2024, Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots have surpassed $1 billion or more only 11 times − and three winning tickets came from a Publix or Kroger.
Of the 11 times a lottery jackpot has hit $1 billion or more, two of the winning tickets were purchased at a beachtown Publix in Florida and the prize was at least $1.58 billion. One Powerball prize was worth $1.586 billion, and one Mega Millions jackpot topped out at $1.58 billion.
On Jan. 13, 2016, #MelbourneBeach was trending on social media, and on Aug. 8, 2023, so was # NeptuneBeach , both thanks to a local .
The same "lottery lawyer" (from Florida) represented one of the Florida billion-dollar jackpot winners as well as the $1.05 billion Mega Millions winners from Michigan.
Though the Publix and Kroger stores sold winning tickets that matched lottery jackpots over $1 billion, the bonus commission from the Florida Lottery and Michigan Lottery were a small fraction of the overall jackpot. But that's because of lottery rules, which vary by state.
In a game about chance and numbers, it's worth noting that 4 and 19 appeared together in the $1.586 billion winning Powerball sequence. The number 4 was part of the $1.05 billion winning Mega Millions numbers, and the number 19 was part of the $1.58 billion winning Mega Millions numbers.
Lastly, a fun fact: The $1.05 billion Mega Millions lottery jackpot was finally won Jan. 22, 2021, which is a palindromic number. When written in this style, 1/22/21, the date (and numbers) are the same when the digits are reversed.
Read on for more information about these three billion-dollar Powerball and Mega Millions lottery jackpots, what we know about the winners and facts about Publix and Kroger.
When was the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion? Who won $1.586 billion Powerball on Jan. 13, 2016?
Powerball made history Jan. 11, 2016, the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion. After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the (Saturday) Jan. 9, 2016, drawing for $949 million , the Monday jackpot soared to $1.4 billion. (No one won that drawing either.) Powerball made history again when three tickets matched all six numbers to win $1.586 billion in the (Wednesday) Jan. 13, 2016, drawing.
The jackpot started Nov. 4, 2015, at $40 million. It had rolled over almost 30 times from Nov. 4, 2015, to Jan. 13, 2016, before three tickets from California, Tennessee and Melbourne Beach, Florida, claimed the $1.586 billion grand prize. In 2016, FLORIDA TODAY reported Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt bought their winning Powerball ticket at a Publix in Melbourne Beach. The couple hired Indialantic "lottery lawyer" Kurt Panouses. The Melbourne Beach Publix received a $100,000 commission from the Florida Lottery for selling one of the billion-dollar tickets.
The winning Powerball numbers for Jan. 13, 2016, were 4-8-19-27-34 and the Powerball was 10.
As of Sept. 20, 2024, the$1.586 billion Powerball prize remains the third-largest lottery jackpot of all-time.
Melbourne Beach Publix is the only grocery store in that town
Sandwiched between Indialantic and Sebastian, Melbourne Beach is a small town that's part of Florida's Space Coast. Publix, 3830 S. SR A1A, Melbourne Beach , is in the Driftwood Plaza.
Who won $1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing on Aug. 8, 2023?
After months of rollovers, on Aug. 8, 2023, someone was lucky enough to buy a $2 Mega Millions ticket worth $1.58 billion from a Publix in Neptune Beach, Florida. On Sept. 25 , the winner, Saltine Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida, claimed the prize.
Like its sister store in Melbourne Beach, the Neptune Beach Publix also received a $100,000 bonus commission.
The winning Mega Millions numbers for Aug. 8, 2023, were 13-19-20-32-33 and the Mega Ball was 14.
As of Sept. 20, 2024, the$1.586 billion Powerball prize remains the third-largest lottery jackpot of all-time and the biggest Mega Millions lottery jackpot in the history of the game.
Neptune Beach's Publix where the winning Mega Millions ticket was bought is next door to another Publix
The billion-dollar Mega Millions winner is truly lucky. If the person had bought their ticket just about 250 feet away at the new Publix next door, the day after the lottery drawing would've been $1.58 billion less exciting.
The newer Publix next door was most recently a Lucky's Market. After closing its doors in 2020 and sitting empty until 2023, it was surprisingly turned into a Publix store – only about 250 feet away from Neptune Beach's original Publix store.
For those who live in the Jacksonville Beach area near both stores – where shopping is a pleasure – there was likely a source of hometown pride and, possibly, hometown ridicule.
Who won $1.05 billion Mega Millions drawing on Jan. 22, 2021, in Michigan?
A single ticket won a $1.05 billion Mega Millions jackpot on Jan. 22, 2021, in Michigan. An Oakland County lottery club, the Wolverine FLL Club, made up of four undisclosed members, came forward to claim the prize. A Wolverine club member purchased the winning ticket at a Kroger, 47650 Grand River Ave., Novi, Michigan. Novi is a suburban city less than 10 miles northwest of Detroit.
The lottery club hired "lottery lawyer" Kurt Panouses of Indialantic, Florida, who represented the Melbourne Beach couple that won a piece of the $1.586 billion Powerball prize.
In a March 12, 2021, story from the Detroit Free-Press , a USA TODAY Network newspaper, Panouses told the Michigan Lottery: "A club member saw a sign that the jackpot was up to $1 billion and remembered that they hadn't bought their tickets yet, so they pulled into the Kroger. When you play, of course, you dream of winning, but the reality of it has been incredible. This kind of money will impact the families of our club members for generations to come. We plan to stay humble and pay it forward through charitable giving in southeast Michigan."
In a March 19, 2021, story in FLORIDA TODAY , Panouses said he received a phone call from the winners the morning after the drawing. After more than two weeks of preparation and negotiations with Michigan Lottery officials, he flew to Detroit, drove to Lansing, and accepted the billion-dollar jackpot on behalf of his clients March 12, 2021.
The Wolverine FLL Club opted to receive a one-time lump sum payment of about $776 million instead of annuity payments for the full amount.
Kroger received a $50,000 bonus commission for selling the winning ticket and announced it would donate it to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, according to the Michigan Lottery.
The winning Mega Millions numbers for Jan. 22, 2021, were 4-26-42-50-60 and the Mega Ball was 24.
When did lotto jackpots hit $1 billion or more? How many times have Mega Millions and Powerball lottery jackpots reached $2 billion?
As of Sept. 20, 2024, there have been 11 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion.
$2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
$1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California
$1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach , Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
$1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
$1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
$1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
$1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
$1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
$1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
$1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
$1.05 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
Where in Florida can you buy Mega Millions and Powerball lottery tickets?
Floridians spend more money on lottery tickets than the average American. Florida ranks second for the state that spends the most on lottery tickets, right behind New York.
And within The Sunshine State's many lottery ticket purchases, most of them were purchased at what some might call Florida's favorite grocery store .
According to the Florida Lottery, there are 13,000 retailers in the state that can sell Powerball, Mega Millions and Florida Lottery tickets. And of the 13,000 retailers here, two billion-dollar tickets were sold in Florida at a Publix grocery store.
One might call that a "one in a billion" chance.
Lianna Norman covers trending news for USA TODAY Network - Florida. You can reach her at You can follow her reporting on social media on Twitter.
