Minnesota is Now One of the Worst States to Win the Lottery In

How many times have you fantasized about quitting your job, buying a cabin up north, and living off lottery winnings? It's a dream we all have, but before you start picking out which lake to retire on, you might want to know that according to a new study, Minnesota isn't exactly the best state to hit the jackpot in.

SEE ALSO: 2 Minnesota Towns Up For Best Small Town In The Midwest

The study was done by GamblingSites.com and they looked at a bunch of factors, including:

• Mega Millions and Powerball winners per capita
• Total prize payouts
• Average lottery spending per person
• Cost of living (because a win in some states stretches way further than others)
• Investment performance
• State taxes on winnings (hi, Minnesota’s got those)
• Crime rates (states with higher crime rates may see more lottery-related scams and fraudulent claims)

Explaining their methodology, the gambling website says:

To clearly understand how states rank for lottery success without relying on third-party data and interpretations, we gathered information from primary sources across multiple metrics to build our own Lottery Win Index.

LOOK: Minnesota’s Luckiest Lottery Numbers Exposed

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How Does Minnesota Measure Up When It Comes to Lottery Wins?

After crunching the numbers, Minnesota landed with a Lottery Win Index of 32.13 out of 100, ranking 32nd in the country for Powerball and Mega Millions lottery success. In other words, according to the study, we are the 14th worst state to win the lottery.

So, what’s holding us back?

For starters, Minnesotans spend less on lottery tickets compared to other states, ranking 9th lowest in per capita lottery sales nationwide.

Also, the cost of living in Minnesota is higher than in many states, so even if you do win, you’re not rolling in dough quite like someone in Tennessee (ranked 6th) might be.

And don't forget the tax factor. On top of the 24 percent you have to give to Uncle Sam, you'll also have to fork over another 7.25 percent of your winnings to the State of Minnesota before you see a dime.

Does this mean you should stop playing the lottery in Minnesota? That's a personal choice, of course, but you can't win if you don't play! Plus, every ticket sold helps fund things like education and environmental programs, so even if you don’t win, you’re still doing some good. Just remember to play responsibly and only spend money you can afford to lose.

How Many Powerball and Mega Millions Winners Has Minnesota Had?

All that said, people in Minnesota DO hit the jackpot from time to time. ​KARE11 reports, that as of March 2025, Minnesota has had seven Powerball jackpot winners. The most recent was Paul White in August 2013, who shared a $448.4 million jackpot with two New Jersey winners.

There has only been one Mega Millions jackpot winner in Minnesota, won by a couple who bought a ticket in Ramsey, MN for the April 12, 2022 drawing.

Even though Minnesota might not be the most advantageous state to win a massive jackpot, any Minnesotan would undoubtedly be thrilled to hit it big.

READ MORE: Minnesota City Makes Top 10 Best Places To Retire in America