A single ticket sold in Florida became the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot this Tuesday, an estimated 800 million dollars prize that represents the largest lottery prize of 2026 and the tenth largest in the history of the popular American game of chance.
The winning numbers of the drawing were 34, 48, 49, 59, and 70, with a Mega Ball of 12.
Lottery officials had not identified the winner or the store where the ticket was sold at the time of the initial reports on Wednesday.
A historic award for the Sunshine State
Florida is no stranger to this type of victory. According to the New York Post, the state has already accumulated six Mega Millions jackpots since joining the game in 2013, and it still holds the overall record.
It is about the prize of $1.602 billion won on August 8, 2023, when Saltines Holdings, LLC in Neptune Beach claimed that unprecedented prize.
The drawing this Tuesday ended a streak of 38 consecutive drawings without a jackpot winner and is only the third major prize claimed in all of 2026.
The two previous ones were an anonymous online ticket from Illinois that won 536 million dollars on March 10; and The Happy Trails Trust, which won 60 million in Van Wert, Ohio, on March 17.
How much will the winner actually receive?
The fortunate individual will have to choose between two payment options.
The first is the annual payment: receiving the 800 million distributed in an initial disbursement plus 29 annual payments.
The second, and the most common among the winners, is the one-time cash payment: in this case, it would amount to 344.2 million dollars before taxes.
If you choose the lump sum payment option, the mandatory federal withholding of 24% would reduce that figure to approximately 261.6 million dollars, as detailed by the New York Post.
Florida does not apply the state tax on lottery winnings, which represents a significant advantage compared to residents of other states that do have local taxes.
Other tickets also celebrate
In addition to the grand winner in Florida, two second-tier tickets also had a memorable night.
One sold at the Corner Market store in Buffalo, New York, matched all five white numbers and won 3 million dollars.
Another ticket from Illinois achieved the same result and won 5 million dollars.
The ticket price and the odds
Since April 2025, the price of a Mega Millions ticket has risen from two to five dollars per play, a change designed to accumulate larger prizes in less time, as was anticipated days ago when the jackpot was already climbing significantly.
The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336, while the odds of winning any prize in the game are 1 in 23.
Mega Millions is played on Tuesdays and Fridays in 45 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When is the next draw?
Those who were not lucky this Tuesday will have a new chance next Friday, August 1, at 11 p.m. ET, when the next Mega Millions drawing takes place, with a jackpot estimated at 50 million dollars and a cash option of 21.5 million.
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