Winning $348 Million Mega Millions Ticket Sold In Virginia

We must continue to wait for those billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpots in the $5 era. Friday night, someone took home the big jackpot, an estimated $348 million — or, if they choose the cash option, $155.5 million.

It was the 20th drawing since the last Mega Millions winner was crowned.

The winning ticket — numbers 18, 21, 29, 42, 50 and a gold Mega Ball of 2 — was sold at a gas station in Virginia called the E & C VA at 14878 Northumberland Highway in Burgess (Northumberland County), according to the Virginia Lottery. That’s about 140 miles north of Richmond.

This win marks the largest jackpot in Virginia lottery history and is the 10th time someone bought a jackpot-winning Mega Millions ticket in the state.

As of this writing, the winner has not stepped forward.

Interestingly, nobody matched all five white balls, meaning the winning ticket was the only millionaire minted Friday night.

Lottery Geeks estimates 6.9 million tickets were sold for Friday night’s drawing, and the Mega Millions jackpot will reset to $50 million for Tuesday night’s drawing.

Powering up

Meanwhile, Powerball is the new top dog in town as nobody won Saturday night’s drawing, pushing Monday night’s top prize to an estimated $162 million.

The numbers Saturday were 4, 35, 43, 52, 62, and a red Powerball of 12. There were also no Match 5 winners, and Lottery Geeks estimates 11.6 million tickets were sold.

This will be the 13th drawing since the last time Powerball hit.

Tickets for Mega Millions cost $5, while Powerball tickets cost $2, with most states offering 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. $1.76 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. $1.22 billion, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California
10. $1.13 billion, Mega Millions, March 26, 2024, won in New Jersey

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. $571.9 million, Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, won in California