News writer
When it comes to holidays, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect. For a lot of people, this means showing gratitude for family, food, and maybe a football game that doesn't ruin everyone's good mood at the dinner table. For millions of Americans, 2025 has brought something more to appreciate, especially if they spent any part of the year playing the lottery.
It's been a transformative year for lottery players. Not only have we seen billion-dollar jackpots and new laws that protect winners, but we have seen more states add online play. Overall, lottery players have many things to be thankful for this year.
We are definitely living in a time when budgets are tight and small moments of joy matter more than ever. Even with all of that, the lottery has remained an American ritual for many people. It gives players a mix of entertainment, optimism, and the promise of possibility.
It's time to grab a plate of stuffing and mashed potatoes and settle in. We have 10 things lottery players are thankful for this year, all rooted in big wins, changes, and breakthroughs.
1. Jaw-dropping $1B+ jackpots
There is nothing that gets the lottery world buzzing more than a jackpot that grows past $1 billion. And in 2025, we got to see a record-threatening $1.79 billion Powerball jackpot in September 2025.
That happened to be the second-biggest jackpot in Powerball history. It happened to be split by lucky winners in Missouri and Texas, so two people are very thankful in 2025.
There aren't many things in this life that can unify a country like a jackpot that big. We see coworkers starting to form official pools. Gas station clerks are talking about it nonstop. Even those people who haven't played the lottery in years find themselves standing in line thinking, Well, you never know.
These big jackpots do more than just create millionaires. They transform the national mood. For a moment, even the most cynical among us entertained the question: What if it's my turn? While times can feel stressful in 2025, this collective spark of hope was something players were truly thankful for.
2. Record Mega Millions win in Georgia
We also saw a huge jackpot win for Mega Millions players, which had a certain ticketholder in Georgia feeling very thankful. For the November 14, 2025, drawing, the jackpot grew to $983 million.
A single ticket purchased in the Peach State matched all the winning numbers to win the eighth-largest jackpot in the game's history. In addition, it happened to be the largest lottery prize ever claimed in Georgia.
This was a big reminder for players, as it doesn't matter your location. You don't have to be in California or New York to win these big multi-state jackpots. Instead, any neighborhood, store, or day could be the one that changes everything.
These big jackpots also help pump more foot traffic into these lottery retailers. That means more possible sales for these smaller, mom-and-pop type businesses. In addition, state programs funded by lottery revenue, like scholarships or environmental projects, see significant boosts, which is something both winners and non-winners can be thankful for.
3. Mega Millions makeover paying off
In April 2025, Mega Millions officials announced it was revamping the structure of its multi-state draw game. Reactions from lottery players ranged from cautious optimism to full-blown skepticism.
The biggest change for this makeover was the jump in ticket prices from $2 to $5. However, the game also added these values:
- Bigger starting jackpots ($50 million).
- More meaningful non-jackpot prizes.
- Elimination of the old $2 break-even tier.
- Built-in multiplier.
It didn't take long for this change to create a winner. The first drawing with these new changes took place on April 8, 2025. The first jackpot winner came on April 18, when a ticket in Ohio won the $112 million jackpot.
The revamped game has been paying out well for lottery players. During this last jackpot run, there were over 14 million winning tickets sold at all prize levels. With the multiplier added in, these non-jackpot winning tickets earn over $340 million. These winners are not only thankful but have brought a renewed interest and optimism to the game.
4. Smaller games having their moment
While the focus has been on these multi-state draw games, 2025 has also been a year of thankful players for in-state lottery games. This could be very evident in Texas, with Lotto Texas paying out two huge jackpots in 2025.
We saw an $83.5 million jackpot win in February. Then on November 15, one ticket matched all the winning numbers again to win the $78 million jackpot.
That jackpot joy can be spread to other states, also. We have Lotto 47 over $22 million in Michigan, so that would make for some thankful Michiganders if someone wins this week. Players in Florida and New Jersey had a winning weekend back in October, which had the jackpots paying out almost $30 million.
The jackpots might not be as high as Powerball or Mega Millions, but the odds are better. It gives players a little more hope of possibly winning it all.
5. Anonymity laws give winners peace of mind
Staying anonymous for lottery players used to be impossible. In 2025, it's becoming the expectation.
This year alone, we have seen Oregon, Virginia, and Michigan pass new laws or regulations allowing lottery winners to stay private. This is especially true for those lottery winners claiming bigger jackpots in those states.
Lottery winners are thankful for these changes, as they eliminate:
- Unwanted media attention
- Distant relatives reappearing
- Scam calls
- Security worries
Lottery players no longer have to choose between life-changing money and a life changed beyond recognition. These new anonymity laws might be the most underrated blessing of the year.
6. Online play is catching up with how people actually live
If there is one thing lottery players are thankful for in 2025, it has to be the fact that more states are finally embracing online lottery play. We have seen lotteries lag behind every other form of entertainment and commerce.
While you can buy your groceries online or visit your doctor without leaving your couch, many states still require you to drive to a gas station to buy a $2 lottery ticket. In 2025, that changed for many residents of this country.
States like Colorado, Minnesota, and West Virginia took big steps toward expanding online ticket sales. Meanwhile, other states upgraded their outdated systems, launched new digital play apps, or broadened their online offerings.
Players are thankful for this, as it doesn't replace the retail experience. Instead, it enhances it. Online ticket sales allow players to:
- Buy a lottery ticket on your phone.
- Scan your physical tickets for any possible winners.
- Set spending limits for yourself.
- Receive instant win notifications.
- Avoid losing or damaging tickets.
Online lottery play isn't just an upgrade to the technology, but it's a cultural upgrade. In 2025, players are extremely thankful that the U.S. is finally catching up to the modern world.
7. Responsible gambling focus
On the surface, it might not seem like something players would be thankful for. However, by focusing on responsible gambling, it allows players to enjoy the game, but in a healthy way.
This allows for player protections, which can be seen with:
- Improved deposit and spend-limit tools.
- Clearer win-loss tracking in lottery apps.
- Enhanced self-exclusion options.
- Stronger ID verification and age checks.
- More problem-gambling resources are clearly available.
- Some state lotteries are partnering with mental-health organizations.
This focus is about empowering lottery players, not scaring them away. Officials know that long-term player trust comes from transparency and having guardrails in place.
Lottery players actually want this. Whether they buy a scratch-off ticket one time a month or play Powerball every drawing, this is something players can be thankful for.
8. A sense of community
Even as things get more and more digital in the world, lottery players remain one of the few traditions that bring people together. This can be done:
- Starting up lottery pools with coworkers.
- Families choosing numbers together.
- Neighbors chit-chatting about the size of a jackpot
- Friends sending a “Did you see this?” text when one of the jackpots climbs.
In 2025, this seems to have multiplied. This year brought conversations rooted in fun, excitement, and a sense that something big could be right around the corner.
Hope isn't always logical, but it is human. The lottery taps into this. For 2025, players not only got bigger jackpots and better odds, but they also got a reminder of why they play.
Final thoughts
Thanksgiving gives us all a moment to reflect on the things that brought us joy and hope, even if it's in small doses. In 2025, it delivered far more than the usual share of excitement for lottery players.
The lottery is always going to be part game, part ritual, and part dream. In 2025, that dream felt brighter, safer, and more inclusive than ever.
As you sit down for the holiday with family and friends, raise a toast to the simple joys of the season, to those lottery moments that reminded us all that sometimes, hope is just a ticket away.
Enjoy playing the lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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