What are the luckiest states for lottery players? See where Washington ranks
How lucky are lottery players in Washington state?
Sports betting platform Vegas Insider recently analyzed U.S. lottery data to discover which states score the most Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots — and where big wins are rarer.
While each lottery ticket carries the same odds, some state “consistently produce winners,” according to casino expert Amy Harris, a member of the Vegas Insider research team.
The difference comes down to “participation history, population scale and long-term win patterns,” rather than total ticket sales, Vegas Insider found.
“Where you live could be shaping your lottery odds more than you think,” Harris said.
Here’s where Washington state ranks in terms of lottery jackpot wins:
What is the luckiest state for lottery winners?
According to Vegas Insider, Michigan was the No. 1 state for lottery wins in the nation.
The Wolverine State “doesn’t just produce a high number of jackpot wins,” the site said. “It (also) delivers them regularly and at one of the highest rates per person.”
The Vegas Insider study found that Michigan had a total of 46 Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot wins, with 72.7 lottery wins per year.
That broke down to 98.4 wins per 1 million residents.
“In real gaming, the odds are fixed,” Harris said. “In the lottery, where you play can change the outcome.”
How many lottery winners does Washington state have?
Washington state was relatively low on Vegas Insider’s list of the U.S. states and districts with the most lottery wins, landing at No. 38.
The Evergreen State had a total of four Powerball and Mega Millions jackpot wins, with 7.3 lottery wins per year, according to the Vegas Insider study.
There were 10.8 lottery wins for every million people in Washington state.
Has a Washington resident ever won Powerball jackpot?
Although Powerball tickets sold in Washington state frequently win big prizes, jackpot winners are rare.
In April, a Powerball ticket sold at a Safeway grocery store in Gig Harbor won $250,000, while a ticket purchased at a Kennewick Walmart scored $100,000.
However, Washington state has only produced two Powerball jackpot winners.
In 2014, a woman won a $90 million Powerball jackpot after purchasing a ticket in Auburn, according to Washington’s Lottery.
In February 2023, Auburn resident Becky Bell won $745.5 million after buying a lucky lottery ticket at a local Fred Meyer supermarket, lottery officials said.
Where are luckiest lottery retailers in Washington state?
In Washington state, players won at least $1,000 on lottery tickets 4,585 times in 2025, McClatchy Media previously reported.
Lottery players across the Evergreen State won a total of $96.3 million.
The South Puget Sound region was the “luckiest region” in Washington state in 2025, lottery officials said, with the top 10 retailers totaling 170 wins of $1,000 or more.
That included stores in Seattle, SeaTac, Puyallup and Renton.
Where do Americans win the lottery most often?
According to Vegas Insider, these were the 10 states with the most Powerball and Mega Millions winners:
- Michigan
- Virginia
- New York
- California
- Maryland
- Iowa
- Massachussetts
- New Jersey
- Rhode Island
- Missouri
How did Vegas Insider rank luckiest states?
To identify the U.S. states where lottery players win the most, Vegas Insider looked at data from official Powerball and Mega Millions winners.
This dataset included all recorded wins from the 1990s, when the Powerball and Mega Millions games were launched, to the most recent available data in 2025.
Vega Insider sourced population data from the latest U.S. Census estimates.
The site’s analysis included total wins, wins per year adjusted for participation time and wins per million residents.
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 2:01 PM.
