Late in March, a single ticket in Illinois matched all winning numbers to win the Mega Millions jackpot estimated at $349m at the time.
Now, the fortunate winners have finally collected the life-changing prize they won from the March 25, 2025, Mega Millions drawing.
On Wednesday, the incredibly lucky winners visited the Illinois Lottery to claim the mind-blowing jackpot prize.
The winners purchased their lucky ticket at Casey’s General Store at 70 S. Somonauk Road in Cortland, Illinois.
After selling the jackpot winning ticket, the retailer received a bonus of $500,000.
The latest $349m Mega Millions jackpot win marks the fourth jackpot won in Illinois over the last few years.
Back in June 2021, one Mega Millions player took home $56m after buying their winning ticket at a gas station in Crestwood.
Then, in July 2022, an incredibly fortunate player scored the mind-boggling $1.34bn Mega Millions jackpot. This was the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois and the ticket was purchased at a gas station in Des Plaines.
More recently, in June 2024, an online player purchased a ticket and won $552m. This win became the largest prize ever won by an online lottery player across the country.
Understandably, the winners of the $349m Mega Millions jackpot chose to remain anonymous.
They instead selected the nickname "Blessed," but it is likely that their real identity will forever remain a mystery.
Speaking to lottery officials, the winners of the mind-blowing jackpot said: "We took a chance and bought a single Quick Pick ticket."
The winners further added: "We’re absolutely ecstatic and feel incredibly blessed. We plan to use this money to do good – this unbelievable prize will truly be the gift that keeps on giving."
The sales of Mega Millions tickets in Illinois provide a vital financial boost for education.
During the jackpot run alone, Mega Millions tickets got closer to $24m in sales, with the Illinois Lottery returning more than $9m to the Common School Fund, which supports K-12 education across the state.
Undoubtedly, the $349m jackpot marks a historic win in Illinois, considering that the odds of winning the top prize from Mega Millions are 1 in 290,472,336.
The odds of winning the top prize do not change regardless of its size or how many players purchase tickets.
Winning any prize from Mega Millions has odds of 1 in 23.
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