Woman Wins $536 Million Jackpot After Lottery Ticket Mishap, Then Has Daughter Call to Confirm It’s Real

NEED TO KNOW

• An Illinois woman won the first Mega Millions jackpot of 2026 earlier this year

• Her $536 million prize is the second largest ever won by an online lottery player

• “I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking and telling myself, ‘This can’t be real,’ ” she told lottery officials

An Illinois woman couldn’t believe her luck after winning a massive Mega Millions jackpot.

The woman, who chose to be identified with the pseudonym “Lucky Lady,” purchased her ticket online through the Illinois Lottery’s iLottery platform, lottery officials said in a press release.

Her $536 million win on March 10 — with white ball numbers 16, 21, 30, 35 and 65, plus the gold Mega Ball 7 — marks the second largest prize ever won by an online lottery player, according to Mega Millions officials.

The woman went on to tell lottery officials that interestingly enough, she never meant to buy a ticket when she did.

“I didn’t even plan to play that day—I had actually tried to buy a ticket online a week earlier, but I forgot to finalize the purchase,” she said. “I even joked with my boss that day, saying, ‘It wasn’t meant to go through.’ ”

When it came time to play again, the woman used Quick Pick to shuffle through numbers until her favorite caught her eye. “Once I saw my favorite number, 16, I stuck with it,” she added.

The decision paid off — and she’ll take home $245.6 million after federal and state taxes.

“I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking and telling myself, ‘This can’t be real,’ ” she told Illinois Lottery officials. “I had my daughter call one of the claim centers to confirm, but it still feels unreal.”

“Lucky Lady” is one of 17 Mega Millions jackpot winners from Illinois since the game began in 2002, according to Mega Millions officials.

With her prize money, the woman told officials she plans to invest in long-held family dreams.

“I’ve always dreamed of buying a new family house with a swimming pool,” she said. “We’re also planning a family meeting soon, so a cruise or maybe even a trip to Vegas could definitely be on the table.”

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Numerous other players also went home with winnings from the March 10 drawing. There were a total of 415,980 winning tickets at all prize levels, officials said, which accounts for almost $209.4 million in prizes during the run, not including the jackpot.

The last Mega Millions jackpot was won on December 2, 2025 in New Jersey, making “Lucky Lady” the first jackpot win of 2026. The next drawing is Friday, March 20.

If you or someone you know is struggling with a gambling problem, please contact the National Problem Gambling Helpline Network at 1-800-522-4700 or go to gamtalk.org.

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