There are quite a lot of famous Powerball syndicate winners but we have prepared a list of the top 5 Powerball group winners right here. These are the syndicates that scooped the biggest amount at the number 1 US lottery!Did you know that one in every 3 jackpots is won by a lottery syndicate?!
1. Theodorus Struyck Syndicate – $1,76,50,00,000
The most successful Powerball syndicate in history is from California. Details about these fortunate winners are scarce, but they set a new benchmark by winning a massive $1,76,50,00,000 on October 11, 2023, following 35 consecutive unsuccessful Powerball draws. It was only in March 2024 that it became known a group held the winning ticket.
In California, winners of substantial lottery amounts must publicly claim their prizes and cannot remain anonymous or use a trust to claim the prize without disclosing their identity.
Consequently, Theodorus Struyck, affectionately known as Theo, stepped forward as the group’s representative. Described by his friends and family as a modest, family-oriented man who cherishes time with his grandchildren, Theo is a retired individual in his sixties.
He had faced financial challenges, having taken out a second mortgage in 2015 that was due by 2035. Neighbors have expressed that this remarkable jackpot could not have been awarded to a more deserving person.
2. The Power Pack Syndicate – $73,11,00,000
The first jackpot of the year 2021 brought in $73,11,00,000 to a Powerball syndicate in Maryland.
This group of Powerball winners chose to remain anonymous. However we learned that the player who bought the winning ticket did not believe his luck on the spot. Apparently, he even said “It’s not possible. I’m going to work!”.
It was a single Quick-Pick ticket that the “Power Pack” had purchased on the very day of the draw. After the initial shock, these Powerball syndicate winners decided to pick their jackpot almost 4 months after the lucky draw.
They opted for the Cash option which brought them $54,68,00,000 (before taxes). That’s a tidy amount!
3. Anonymous Family Syndicate – $48,70,00,000
New Hampshire is one of the few US states that permits lottery winners to collect their prizes through trusts. As it was important for that family Powerball syndicate winners to remain anonymous, they hired a lawyer, who set up a trust in their name and they were able to collect their Powerball prize without revealing their names.
Their lawyer, William Shaheen, came to claim the winnings on their behalf, and simply said, “I couldn’t imagine better people to win this money. They’re going to do great things with it.” And we can say that it seems he was quite right, since the winners in question made a payment of $1,00,000 to The End 68 Hours of Hunger foundation which fights against famine around the world right after the claiming process was over.
4. The Tennessee Twenty – $42,00,00,000
A group of 20 Tennessee-based coworkers, who claimed their winnings under the name “Tennessee 20” scooped a $42 Crore Powerball jackpot.
The group’s leader, Amy O’Neal, told reporters: “We’re supporting education, and we’re supporting Tennessee,” in a news conference in Nashville November 30, 2016.
These 20 colleagues work together at Portland’s North American Stamping Group (it handles sales and quality control at an auto parts manufacturing plant). They all live in 13 different cities in central Tennessee and southern Kentucky.
These lucky Powerball syndicate winners had been buying Powerball tickets for eight years. Every Wednesday & Saturday, they would purchase $120 worth of tickets. Amy O’Neal even stated: “You never think you’re going to win this lottery, but you do it for fun,”
5. The Shipping 20 – $24,10,00,000
On June 15, 2012, 18 men and two women scooped a $56 Lakh share of the Powerball jackpot. They chose to claim their prize under the legal umbrella of “The Shipping 20 Trust“.
The lucky Powerball syndicate winners were: Tommy Campbell Sr., William Carnahan, Mike Hughes, Denise Hunt, Terry Koopman, David Morgan, Charles Shedek, Gregory Stearns and Rodney Tierney, all of Cedar Rapids; Timothy Himmelsbach and Kelly Mulford of Marion; Daniel Cantonwine of Vinton, Kenneth Cole of Fairfax, Robert Havlik of Toddville, Carol Kremer of Central City, Allen Miller of Shellsburg, Larry Nielsen of Walker, Brent Novak of Shellsburg, Jason Rauch of Ryan, and John Wharton of Keystone.
At first, lawyers for the trust told Lottery officials that the members of The Shipping 20 wanted to protect their privacy and would intend a court injunction for the possibility to remain anonymous. Lottery officials gave the trust 10 business days to do so, however the deadline came without any legal action being brought. This is how all names were released.
Lottery CEO, Terry Rich declared: “Historically, the lottery has treated the names of its prize winners as public information and we are doing so in this instance as well.”
6. SEPTA 48 – $14,93,00,000
Forty-eight SEPTA employees are the last Powerball syndicate winners on our list.
A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Lottery declared that the winning ticket was sold at the Newsstand at the Gallery Mall at 9th and Market Streets.
Todd Rucci, Lottery Executive Director even said: “We’re excited to have sold this jackpot-winning Powerball ticket in Pennsylvania, and this will be the second Powerball jackpot we get to award in just five months,”.
These 48 lucky employees work in different departments throughout SEPTA Headquarters. The syndicate is made up of people of different ranks and positions, both union and administration/management. Some have worked for SEPTA for as little as two years while others have been working there for nearly 40 years.
Powerball Syndicate Winners FAQ
Yes of course! There are some famous Powerball syndicate winners including the “Power Pack” which scooped no less than $73,11,00,000!
In the top 5 luckiest Powerball syndicate winners, the largest group is the last one: SEPTA 48. Forty-eight SEPTA employees shared a $14,93,00,000 jackpot on April 25, 2012.
A syndicate represented by Theodorus Struyck can claim to be Powerball’s biggest syndicate winners of all time! They scooped $1,76,50,00,000 on October 11, 2023.