Winning Mega Millions Ticket Worth $533 Million Sold In Illinois

The second-biggest Mega Millions jackpot in the $5 ticket era was hit Tuesday night, when a single ticket sold in Illinois cashed in for an estimated $533 million prize. The cash value of the ticket, if the winner goes that route, would be $244.2 million.

Back in November, a ticket buyer in Georgia took down a $983 million jackpot, which stands as the high-water mark since tickets jumped from $2 to $5.

The winning numbers Tuesday night were 16, 21, 30, 35, and 65, with a gold Mega Ball of 7, with Lottery Geeks estimating a little more than 9.5 million tickets were sold.

This was the first Mega Millions jackpot winner in 2026, as the last top prize was handed out on Dec. 2, when a New Jersey ticket buyer hit for $90 million.

But the big winner wasn’t the only “big” winner — two tickets matched the five white balls, and the Megaplier came in handy, as a Maryland ticket won $4 million and another Illinois ticket won $5 million.

According to Mega Millions, there were 28 drawings since that last winner, with almost 7.7 million winning tickets told. Eighteen millionaires were minted during the run, along with 185 people who won at least $20,000.

Not including the jackpot, nearly $209.4 million was won over the 28 drawings.

The next Mega Millions drawing will be Friday, with the top prize resetting at $50 million.

Powerball jackpot now the biggest (barely)

Powerball’s next drawing will be Wednesday evening for an estimated top prize of $58 million after nobody won Monday night’s draw.

Those numbers were 22, 23, 28, 36, 54, and a red Powerball of 13.

Nobody matched all five white balls, and Lottery Geeks estimates a little more than 7.7 million tickets were sold for the drawing. 

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5 and Powerball tickets cost $2. Most states offer the multiplier option for Powerball, which impacts any prize won except the jackpot, for an additional $1. Mega Millions comes with an automatic multiplier for any prize except the jackpot.

Both Powerball and Mega Millions are legal in all states except Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. Tickets for both draw games are also sold in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, customers can buy tickets for Powerball, but not for Mega Millions.

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. $1.82 billion, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
3. $1.79 billion, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
4. $1.76 billion, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
5. $1.6 billion, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
6. $1.59 billion, Powerball, Jan. 13, 2016, won in California, Florida, and Tennessee
7. $1.54 billion, Mega Millions, Oct. 23, 2018, won in South Carolina
8. $1.35 billion, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine
9. $1.34 billion, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
10. $1.33 billion, Powerball, April 6, 2024, won in Oregon

Here is 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. $834.9 million, Powerball, Dec. 24, 2025, won in Arkansas
5. $820.6 million, Powerball, Sept. 6, 2025, won in Missouri and Texas
6. $794.2 million, Mega Millions, Aug. 8, 2023, won in Florida
7. $780.5 million, Mega Millions, July 29, 2022, won in Illinois
8. $776.6 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 22, 2021, won in Michigan
9. $774.1 million, Powerball, Oct. 11, 2023, won in California
10. $723.5 million, Mega Millions, Jan. 13, 2023, won in Maine