$560 Million Jackpot Hit Tuesday Night, One Player In Illinois Claims Mega Millions

Somebody in Illinois is having a life-changing week.

After 10 weeks of building without a grand-prize winner, the Mega Millions jackpot hit for an estimated $560 million on Tuesday night, the ninth-largest prize in the 22-year history of the draw lottery game. According to Mega Millions, one perfect six-for-six ticket was sold, and the only detail known at this time about the winner is that they purchased the ticket online through the Illinois Lottery.

This is the second Mega Millions jackpot to hit in 2024 — the previous one was for $1.13 billion on March 26 — and it marks the first winner in Illinois since a $1.34 billion win on a ticket purchased in Des Plaines on July 29, 2022. Illinois was one of the original states participating in The Big Game when it started in 1996, before rebranding as Mega Millions in 2002.

The lucky winner will have the choice of either a $264 million (before taxes) lump-sum cash payment or the full $560 million paid out over 30 years.

Two additional millionaires

The winning numbers drawn Tuesday were 19, 37, 40, 63, and 69, with a gold Mega Ball of 17.

In addition to the jackpot winner, two other customers — one in California, one in Maryland — hit all five white balls to pocket $1 million apiece.

In all, 944,853 tickets returned some sort of prize money, out of an estimated 22.7 million sold.

The jackpot now resets to $20 million for Friday’s draw.

Powerball now takes over as the largest jackpot prize for lottery players to pursue. For Wednesday night’s drawing, the amount sits at $185 million, with a cash value of $86 million.

Tickets for either game cost $2, with an option in some states to play the prize multiplier for an extra $1. Both Powerball and Mega Millions are available in every state except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets can also be purchased in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, while Puerto Rico sells Powerball tickets only.

All-Time Biggest Jackpots

Here is a list of the all-time top 10 U.S. lottery jackpots:

1. $2.04 billion, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
3. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
4. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
5. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
6. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
7. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
9. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey
10. $1.08 billion, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California

And here’s the all-time top 10 by lump-sum cash value:

1. $997.6 million, Powerball, Nov. 7, 2022, won in California
2. $983.5 million, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
3. $877.8 million, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
4. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
5. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
6. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
7. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
8. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $621 million, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon
10. $558.1 million, Powerball, July 19, 2023, won in California