Florida player wins $800 million Mega Millions jackpot

A Mega Millions ticket purchased in Florida hit all six numbers on Tuesday night, securing an estimated $800 million jackpot, the tenth-largest in the game’s history. The winning combination was 34, 48, 49, 59, 70 and the Mega Ball 12. The ticket’s owner has not been identified and can elect either the full jackpot or a pre-tax cash option of $344.2 million; the cash payout would be reduced by a 24% federal withholding, leaving about $261.6 million after taxes.

Two additional players matched five white balls and received second-tier prizes: a $3 million ticket sold at the Corner Market in Buffalo, New York, and a $5 million ticket sold in Illinois.

The $800 million prize surpasses the previous record of $656 million shared by three winners in 2012 and follows two earlier 2026 Mega Millions jackpots, including a $536 million win in Illinois on March 10. Both of those winners opted for the cash-lump sum.

Florida now records six Mega Millions top-prize wins, the most recent after an August 2023 drawing that produced a $1.62 billion jackpot claimed by a Neptune Beach ticket holder. The state’s lottery noted that the August 15 drawing, which would have awarded a $39 million prize, went unclaimed.

Lottery players who missed Tuesday’s jackpot have another opportunity on Wednesday, when the Powerball drawing is expected to offer a $663 million prize.