Florida Player Wins $800 Million Mega Millions Jackpot as Prize Enters Top 10 Largest Ever

A lottery ticket sold in Bradenton, Florida won the $800 million Mega Millions jackpot on July 28, 2026. Here’s what is known about the winner, the odds, the payout options, and how the prize compares with historic U.S. lottery jackpots.

A single lottery ticket sold in Florida matched all six numbers in Tuesday night’s Mega Millions drawing, claiming an estimated $800 million jackpot—the largest lottery prize awarded in the United States so far in 2026 and one of the biggest in Mega Millions history.

The winning ticket was purchased at a Wawa convenience store located at 14510 State Road 70 East in Bradenton, Florida, according to the Florida Lottery. The winner matched all five white balls and the gold Mega Ball to capture the jackpot.

If the winner chooses the one-time cash payment instead of annual instalments, the prize is estimated at $344.2 million before federal taxes.

The jackpot resets to an estimated $50 million, with a cash value of $21.5 million, for the next drawing.

Winning Numbers

The winning numbers drawn on July 28, 2026, were:

34 – 48 – 49 – 59 – 70

Mega Ball: 12

In addition to the jackpot winner, two other players secured multimillion-dollar prizes:

• An Illinois ticket won $5 million
• A New York ticket won $3 million

Can the Winner Remain Anonymous?

Under Florida law, major lottery winners receive temporary confidentiality but cannot remain anonymous indefinitely.

For prizes exceeding $250,000, the winner’s identity is exempt from public disclosure for 90 days after claiming the prize. After that period, the winner’s name becomes public record.

How Difficult Is It to Win?

Winning the Mega Millions jackpot remains one of the longest odds in American gaming.

• Jackpot odds: 1 in 290,472,336
• Odds of winning a multi-million-dollar secondary prize: approximately 1 in 12.6 million

Those probabilities mean a person is statistically far more likely to experience numerous everyday events—such as being struck by lightning during their lifetime—than to win the jackpot.

One of the Biggest Mega Millions Jackpots Ever

The $800 million prize ranks as the 10th-largest Mega Millions jackpot since the game began in 2002.

Largest Mega Millions Jackpots in History

Florida has now produced two of the ten largest Mega Millions jackpots ever recorded, including the all-time record of $1.602 billion won in August 2023.

Mega Millions Through the Years

Mega Millions traces its roots to 1996, when it launched as The Big Game, involving just six states. It adopted the Mega Millions name in 2002 and gradually expanded nationwide.

Today, tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The game has undergone several changes designed to create larger jackpots. The most significant came in October 2017, when officials increased the odds against winning the jackpot by changing the matrix from 5/75 + 1/15 to 5/70 + 1/25. While the change reduced players’ chances of winning, it allowed jackpots to grow much larger before being claimed.

Record-Breaking Lottery Growth

Lottery jackpots have climbed dramatically during the past decade.

• Before 2012, no U.S. lottery jackpot had exceeded $656 million.
• Since 2022, multiple jackpots have surpassed $1 billion.
• Mega Millions alone has now produced six jackpots exceeding $1 billion.
• Powerball has also awarded several billion-dollar prizes, including the world-record $2.04 billion jackpot won in California in November 2022.

The increasing frequency of billion-dollar jackpots reflects changes in game design, including longer odds and higher ticket sales generated by public interest as jackpots climb.

Mega Millions by the Numbers

Since becoming Mega Millions in 2002:

• More than 1,300 jackpot-winning tickets have been sold.
• Jackpots have been won in over 30 states.
• California, Florida, New York, Michigan, Illinois and New Jersey rank among the states producing the largest number of jackpot winners.
• Mega Millions drawings are held every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

Powerball Continues to Grow

While Mega Millions has reset following Tuesday’s win, lottery players still have another massive prize to chase.

The Powerball jackpot is estimated at $663 million, with a cash option of $290.4 million, for the next drawing scheduled for Wednesday evening.

For lottery enthusiasts, the summer of 2026 continues one of the strongest periods for major U.S. jackpots in recent years, with hundreds of millions of dollars still available despite Tuesday night’s historic win.