A single Mega Millions ticket sold in Illinois has won the game’s first jackpot of 2026, ending a more than three-month stretch without a top-prize winner and triggering a reset of the multi-state lottery’s headline payout back to its starting level for Friday’s draw. 

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What happened

Mega Millions officials said one Illinois ticket matched all six numbers drawn on Tuesday, March 10 — 16, 21, 30, 35, 65 and Mega Ball 7 — to capture the jackpot. The game’s official news release put the final jackpot at $536 million, with a cash option of $245.6 million, noting that final jackpots can move above initial estimates because they are based on actual ticket sales. 1

On the Illinois Lottery’s results page for the March 10 drawing, the jackpot is listed as $533,000,000 and the ticket is shown as purchased via “Illinois Lottery Online” (IllinoisLottery.com), indicating the winning play was bought digitally rather than at a retail outlet. 2

Background and context: a long rollover run finally ends

The March 10 win was the first time the Mega Millions jackpot had been hit since Dec. 2, 2025, when a ticket in New Jersey won the top prize, Mega Millions said. 1

During the 28-drawing jackpot run, Mega Millions said nearly 7.7 million winning tickets were sold across all prize tiers, including 18 second-tier prizes (ranging from $2 million to $5 million) won in 13 states. 1

Illinois, one of the game’s founding members, has now “won or shared in 17 jackpot wins over the years,” according to Mega Millions and local reporting. 1

Developments in the last 24 hours: confirmations, multipliers, and big “near-misses”

In a Wednesday update, the New Jersey Lottery confirmed the Illinois jackpot win and said the Mega Millions jackpot has reset to $50 million for Friday’s drawing. The agency also highlighted how the game’s automatic multiplier boosted some non-jackpot prizes for players in New Jersey. 3

Other state lotteries reported major secondary prizes from the same drawing. The Maryland Lottery said a ticket sold at a Giant Foods store in Colesville (Montgomery County) is worth $4 million after matching the first five numbers (missing only the Mega Ball) and receiving an automatic 4X multiplier; the retailer will receive a $2,500 bonus, the agency said. 4

In Illinois, ABC7 Chicago reported the winning ticket was purchased online and summarized key game details, including the estimated jackpot and cash option widely cited before final sales totals were calculated. 5

What happens next: claiming the prize, privacy options, and deadlines

Illinois Lottery rules require Mega Millions prizes to be claimed within one year of the drawing date. However, winners who want the lump-sum option must claim within 60 days; after that, the claim can typically proceed only as an annuity. 6

Illinois also allows large winners to request privacy: if the prize is $250,000 or greater, a winner may ask the Illinois Lottery to keep their name and municipality of residence confidential by selecting that option on the claim form at the time of filing. 7

Regional and broader impact: why this win matters beyond one lucky ticket

A jackpot win of this size is a marketing jolt for a game that depends on rollovers to drive national attention and ticket sales. Mega Millions noted that it is only the second time in the game’s history that the first jackpot win of a year didn’t arrive until March—a statistic that underscores how unusually long the early-2026 drought was. 1

The win also highlights the growing role of official digital lottery platforms in states that offer them: Illinois’ own posted results for the drawing identify the jackpot winner as an Illinois Lottery Online purchase, not a storefront sale. 2

Money and taxes: what the headline figure does—and doesn’t—mean

Lottery jackpots are paid before taxes, and Illinois Lottery materials note that the state withholding rate is 4.95% and that the lottery is required to withhold 24% federal taxes on certain prizes for U.S. citizens and resident aliens—while also cautioning that withholding often does not cover a winner’s full tax liability. 8