The second largest prize ever won by an online lottery player in the U.S.
RELEASE DATE: 3/11/2026
CHICAGO – Lottery luck strikes again in Illinois! An Illinois Lottery player has won the Mega Millions jackpot in last night’s drawing - a whopping $536 million.
The winning ticket was purchased online and matched all five numbers and the Mega Ball, 16-21-30-35-65-7, to score the life-changing top prize of $536 million for the March 10, 2026 Mega Millions draw.
Incredibly, this is the second largest prize ever won by an online lottery player in the U.S. and the fifth Illinois Lottery player to win the Mega Millions jackpot in nearly five years:
- In March 2025, a ticket bought at a convenience store in Cortland won a $349 million Mega Millions jackpot.
- In June 2024, an iLottery player won $552 million - making this the largest prize ever won by an online lottery player in the U.S.
- In July 2022, a ticket bought at a gas station in Des Plaines won a $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot - which remains the largest lottery prize ever won in Illinois.
- In June 2021, a Mega Millions player won $56 million at a Citgo gas station in Crestwood.
And the winning keeps coming! A separate Illinois iLottery player also won a $5 million prize in last night’s drawing, matching all five numbers with a 5x multiplier.
Since 2021, Illinois Lottery players have won over $2.8 billion in Mega Millions jackpots.
Every ticket sold is also a big win for education in Illinois. With over $38 million in total Mega Millions ticket sales during this jackpot run, the Illinois Lottery was able to return more than $8 million to the Common School Fund to support K-12 education in Illinois.
Winners have one year from the date of the winning draw in which to claim their prize. The Illinois Lottery encourages all lucky winners to write their name on the back of their ticket and keep it in a safe place until they’re ready to claim their prize.
Mega Millions is played every Tuesday and Friday night. Tickets are $2 each, and players can add the Megaplier for an additional $1 for the chance to multiply non-jackpot prizes.
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About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $26 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary benefactor, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit
IllinoisLottery.com.