25 Lottery Winner Statistics To Make You Buy a Ticket ASAP


Lottery Winner Statistics

Do you ever think about what you would do with a million dollars? If you’re here, we’re guessing the answer is yes. And if that’s true for you, then consider yourself lucky—you’ve come to the right place. We’ve done the research on lottery winners, and today we’re going to share it with you.

Whether you’re a Powerball fanatic or just like to play every once in a while, you’ll love the stats we’ve collected on lottery winners from all over the world.

We’ve got everything from the most common winning numbers to the average time it takes for people to realize they’ve won. It’s all here! And if you love what you see, don’t forget to share this with your friends and family so they can learn some fun new facts too.

So grab a notebook and a pen or your favorite note-taking app, because these are the stats on lottery winners you need to know to get started planning for your future as a millionaire!

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Lottery Player Statistics

1. The average gambler in the US spends around $261 on lottery tickets per year

(USA Today)

According to a report published on USA Today Money, the average American adult spends around $261 on casino visits and lottery tickets per year. However, some locations are more prone to gambling than others. Nevada adults spend around $5,000 per year on tickets.

According to the report, citizens in Nevada spend the most on lottery tickets, followed by adults in Rhode Island, who spend around $449 per year on the lottery. Delaware came in third, with adults spending around $390 per year on lottery tickets.

 

2. 57% of Americans buy lottery tickets

(Lotto Land)

A report from Lotto Land on lottery player statistics found around 57% of Americans, adding up to around 181 million people will buy at least one lottery ticket or more in a year. People over the age of 65 were the least likely to buy a ticket in the study, and men were more likely than women to purchase lottery tickets in the US.

The report also revealed single Americans generally spend less on lottery tickets than Americans with partners.

 

3. Florida had the most lottery ticket sales in 2021

(Statista)

According to research from Statista, Floridians bought the most lottery tickets in 2021. The accumulated spend on lottery tickets for Florida in 2021 was $9,076.22 million. Florida was followed by New York in terms of lottery spending, at around $8,594.88 million, and California came in third at $8,417.94 spent.

 

4. The odds of winning the Mega Millions are 1 in 302.5 million

(CNBC)

According to CNBC and research from Harvard, the odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery in the United States is around 1 in 302.5 million as of 2021. The odds of winning the Powerball are only slightly better at 1 in 292.2 million.

The research also notes that the odds for most lottery wins are likely to be around 300 million to one, depending on the number of people buying tickets.

 

5. The odds of winning the Euro Millions lottery are 1 in 139.8 million

(National Lottery Website)

According to the National Lottery website, the odds of winning the lottery in the United Kingdom are around 1 in 45,057,474 for the Lotto itself. Your chances of winning the Euro Millions jackpot, on the other hand, are much lower, at 1 in 139,838,160.

The odds of winning the top prize from the thunder ball are 1 in 8,060,598, while your chances of winning the “Set for Life” top prize is around 1 in 15,339,390.

 

6. Indiana and California have the most lottery wins in the US

(Euro Weekly)

According to the Euro Weekly 2021 report, Indiana and California top the list of the states with the most lottery wins, at around 41 jackpot wins each. These states are followed by New York with 37 wins, and Missouri with 33 wins. New Jersey has around 31 wins.

Top 10 States With the Most Lottery Winners

 

7. The Number 31 and the number 17 are the most commonly drawn

(The Sun)

According to The Sun, the number 31 has been drawn in the Mega Millions lottery around 243 times since the game originally began in 1996. The number 17 has also been drawn around 238 times, making these numbers some of the most popular for many players.

The number 10 has been selected a total of 232 times, though this number has been drawn the most in the years between 2017 and 2021, followed by the numbers 21 and 14. Alternatively, the number 72 has only been drawn 20 times in the Mega Millions, and the number 21 has only been drawn 14 times.

 

8. About 70% of UK adults play the lottery

(Lotto Land)

According to Lotto Land, around 70% of adults over the age of 18 in the United Kingdom play the National Lottery on a regular basis. This adds up to around 45 million people. Additionally, the company also notes that around 50% of the population plays the lottery more than once per month, and they generally buy an average of around 3 tickets per week.

Notably, Lotto Land’s report suggests that the split between male and female participants playing the lottery is usually around 50/50.

 

Lottery Win Amounts and How Long They Last

9. 44% of lottery winners spend their money within 5 years

(Forbes)

Research into previous winners found around 44% of their successful players had spent all the money they had won within 5 years. The report also discovered around 90% of all lottery winners have spent everything by the time their grandkids would be eligible to receive any cash, meaning most winners don’t support future generations.

Despite failing to save much cash for future generations, around 83% of the lotto winners in the report said they did give some money to their families. Interestingly, the study also found men were more likely to give money to 3 friends on average, while women only shared with 1 friend.

 

10. Lottery winners have average winnings of $200-$700 million

(CNBC)

You know how it goes: you buy a lottery ticket for a few dollars, or maybe even five or ten, and then you imagine all the things you’d do with that cash. Maybe you’d buy a house in the Bahamas and retire young. Maybe you’d start a scholarship fund in your name and pay it forward to others. Maybe you’d invest in a company that’s trying to solve an important global problem like hunger or clean water.

If only it were that simple!

The average winnings of the lottery in the United States are $200-$700 million, but if you add in all those taxes, you can end up paying more than 45 percent of your total winnings. This leaves you with 110 to 385 million dollars in average lottery winnings after taxes.

And that’s just if you decide to take the lump sum! If you choose to take the winnings over 30 years instead, your taxes will be higher but your final winnings will be larger. Still, it’s a huge chunk of change that goes to the government and not into your pocket.

So before you go out there and buy that ticket, make sure that when you’re daydreaming about what to spend your winnings on, you’re taking into account all those deductions as well!

Nevertheless, with these numbers, you might think that becoming a professional lotto player is an easy way to get rich quick. But this isn’t the case.

For one thing, you’d be looking at a 0.0001% chance of winning. This is not something you want to gamble your life savings on, if you’re looking for a sure thing.

For another thing, there’s always the chance that you’ll spend more money on tickets than you could ever hope to win.

And finally, “average” means just that—average. There are times when the lottery will pay out millions or even billions, but there’s also no guarantee that this will happen and it can take years for the payout to feel like what it’s worth.

 

11. The largest jackpot win ever in the US was $1.586 billion

(USA Today)

The largest jackpot win for residents of the United States was recorded in 2016. The win was split between three tickets from Florida, Tennessee, and California, and totaled a value of $1.586 billion. The largest jackpot to be one by a single person was $1.537 billion on the Mega Millions lottery, in 2018, won by a ticket in California.

 

12. £170 million was the biggest jackpot claimed in the UK

(National Lottery)

According to the UK’s national lottery website, the biggest prize to be claimed publicly to this date was £161 million, which was won by Colin and Christine Weir. However, there has been a larger jackpot win claimed of £170 million, but this was received anonymously.

Lottery winners spending 001
National Lottery Winner Stats

 

13. 70% of lottery winners go bankrupt

(Love Money)

According to Love Money, around 70% of lottery winners end up going broke, and around a third will eventually go bankrupt. According to the site, this has something to do with poor spending habits, toxic investments, and poor accounting.

To make matters worse, Love Money also suggests lotto winners are more likely to go bankrupt within 5 years of winning than the average American.

 

14. The Federal Government takes around 24% of lottery winnings

(Kiro 7)

According to Kiro 7’s report on how much a lottery winner will actually end up with after taxes suggests the government will usually take around 24% of your average win immediately. This means it’s important for anyone who might win the lottery to ensure they have the right strategy in place for managing their money and tax requirements after winning.

 

How Winning the Lottery Affects People

15. 95% of lottery winners stay with their spouse after winning

(Lotto Smile)

Around 95% of respondents to a Lotto Smile survey said winning the lottery didn’t have an impact on their existing relationships or marriages. Although changes to relationship dynamics is a common concern after winning a large amount of money, most winners are unlikely to be any more likely to leave their girlfriend or boyfriend.

 

16. 55% of lottery winners say they’re happier after their win

(ISPOS)

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a survey of the winners of the National Lottery in the United Kingdom found the majority of lottery winners were happier after their win. 55% of respondents said they felt happier after winning, regardless of the size of the win. Only 2% said they were less happy.

The study also found that 58% of people believe their family is happier after they win the lottery too, perhaps because a significant number of individuals often give some of their winnings to family.

 

17. 32% of lottery winners gain weight after winning

(Lottery n Go)

Around 32% of respondents in a Lotto Smile study said they gained weight after winning. Though many people who hadn’t won the lottery yet said they would probably hit the gym more often if they had more money, the reality was they often ate more extravagant foods instead.

 

18. 68% of lottery winners continue buying tickets

(Lottery n Go)

While you might assume winning the lottery would prompt you to stop buying lottery tickets for a while, the majority of people continue to invest in an opportunity to win again. A Lotto Smile survey of previous winners found around 68% continue to buy lottery tickets every week.

Many lottery winners in the study actually said they buy more tickets and invest in more “gambling” activities through online websites.

 

19. 85% of lottery winners prefer to stay anonymous after winning

(National Lottery)

According to surveys by the National Lottery in the UK, the majority of people prefer to stay anonymous after they strike it big with a win. This could be an attempt to reduce the amount of attention they receive after winning a large amount of cash.

Around 85% of national lottery winners say they choose to remain anonymous. However, you can only avoid claiming your prize in person from the National Lottery in the UK if you win less than £50,000.

 

What Do People Do with their Lottery Winnings?

20. 62% of people stay in the same home after winning the lottery

(Lotto Smile)

Though most people assume one of the first things they’ll do after winning the lottery is move into a new home, the statistics show around 62% of people in a Lotto Smile study stayed in the same place.

The survey also found only around 52% of lottery winners left their job after winning. This means your likelihood of staying in your job even with extra money in your bank account is almost just as high as your chances of quitting.

 

21. 83% of winners give some of their winnings to family

(ISPOS)

An ISPOS study into the lottery winners in the United Kingdom found around 83% of winners give some of their winnings to their family. Of this number, around two-thirds give money to their siblings, while 57% share money with children, and 51% give money to parents.

Interestingly, the larger the win, the more likely it is the winner’s family will ask for additional money. Around 17% of family members asked for winnings when someone won less than $163250k, while 29% of families asked for money when people earned more than this amount.

 

22. 19% of lottery winners in the UK use the money to go on vacation

(ISPOS)

ISPOS research into what lottery winners do after winning the lottery found most change their lifestyle significantly. While major purchases like cars and homes are common, around 19% of respondents also go on vacation at the same time.

The report also discovered around 40% of winners also make some contribution to charity.

 

23. Two-thirds of Americans would still work after winning the lottery

(Gallup)

An interesting study from Gallup found around two-thirds of American workers would continue to work even if they won around $10 million from the lottery. Only around 31% of people said they would probably stop working.

According to Gallup, the desire to continue working even after winning a large sum of money has been increasing over the years.

 

24. $2 billion in lottery winnings go unclaimed each year

(ABC Action News)

According to a report from ABC Action News, an average of $2 billion in lottery winnings of various sizes goes unclaimed each year throughout the United States. The higher the drawing, the higher the likelihood will be of various smaller unclaimed prizes.

According to the report, the majority of people simply don’t check their numbers after carrying around the same tickets for a long period of time.

 

25. The largest unclaimed lottery prize in the US was $369.9 million

(Fundraising.co.uk)

According to the Fundraising.co.uk website, the largest jackpot to go unclaimed in the United States was from a lottery win in Florida in 2020. The amount of cash left unclaimed was 369.9 million.

Alternatively, in the United Kingdom, the biggest unclaimed prize was won in June 2012. In this case, a Euromillions prize worth £63.8 million was never collected by the owner of the ticket. Because the time for the money to be collected passed, the cash was distributed between various charitable causes.

 

Conclusion

So there you have it—an in-depth look at some of the most interesting statistics on lottery winners. We hope that this article has been helpful to you and given you a chance to learn more about who’s winning the big money, what they do with the cash after they win, and the impact that winning can have on people’s lives.

We hope that you now have a better understanding of what it means to win the lottery, and whether or not you’re likely to end up in one of these statistics yourself. But if you want to avoid ending up like 1 in 5 lottery winners and instead stay clear of the bankruptcy court, you’re going to need some help managing your money.

If you have any questions or comments, don’t hesitate to hit us up on social media or by email! Thanks for reading, and have a great day!

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