$349M Mega Millions Jackpot Winner Steps Forward to Claim Prize

It’s been a month since the Mega Millions jackpot fell, and now the group of winners, who still remain anonymous, has come forward to claim the prize.

Winners Come Forward

The $349 million Mega Millions jackpot landed on March 25 after a group of lucky players guessed the winning combination. Early Wednesday morning, the Illinois Lottery announced that the prize had at last been claimed. The group, who opted to stay anonymous and go by the nickname “Blessed,” purchased the winning Quick Pick ticket at Casey’s General Store located at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland. As a reward for selling the winning ticket, the retailer was awarded a $500,000 bonus. 

According to the Mega Millions website, one ticket matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, which had an estimated cash option of $161.4 million. Initially projected at $344 million, the final jackpot amount increased due to higher-than-expected ticket sales.

This marks the fourth Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Illinois over the past four years. Noteworthy recent wins include a $1.34 billion prize in 2022, which is the largest in the state’s history. Last year, one lucky iLottery player won $552 million in June 2024, making it the largest online lottery win in US history.

Meanwhile, the most recent winners said that they feel “absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed.” They also explained they plan to use the money for good, saying the prize “will truly be the gift that keeps on giving.”

This win is one of several massive lottery wins that have happened recently. Just a few days ago, a Kentuckian won the $167.3M Powerball Jackpot, although the winner has not yet come forward to claim their prize.

There Were More Winners

In addition to the jackpot winner, a ticket sold in Florida matched all five white balls, earning a $1 million prize. The last time the jackpot was won was on January 17, when a player in Arizona claimed a $112 million prize.

According to the Mega Millions website, Tuesday’s drawing produced a total of 619,889 winning tickets across the country. Among them, 18 tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball to claim third-tier prizes of $10,000 each – seven of which doubled their winnings to $20,000 thanks to the Megaplier option.

The jackpot will now reset to $20 million for Friday night’s drawing. Each ticket sold also contributes significantly to education in Illinois. During this jackpot run, total Mega Millions ticket sales reached nearly $24 million, allowing the Illinois Lottery to return over $9 million to the Common School Fund in support of K-12 education.