A single lottery ticket holder in Illinois made headlines on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, by winning the estimated Mega Millions jackpot of $344 million.
The winning ticket, sold at the Casey General Store on S. Somonauk Road in Cortland, Illinois, is notable as it gives the winner the option of a lump-sum cash payout of around $159.1 million. This marks the 16th time a Mega Millions jackpot has been won in Illinois.
The latest jackpot had been a long time coming, rolling over more than 15 times since January. The jackpot was last captured on January 17, 2025, when a ticket in Arizona won a smaller prize of $113 million. Despite the long run without a winner, Illinois players remained hopeful and engaged.
Each week, millions of individuals try their luck at the Mega Millions, bought at convenience stores, gas stations, and online. In Michigan, for example, tickets can be purchased until 10:45 p.m. on the night of the draw; the Mega Millions costs $2 per ticket. Enthusiasts still prefer purchasing Quick Picks, relying on a lottery machine to select their numbers randomly.
The winning numbers for the March 25 drawing were: 1, 5, 17, 39, 62, and the Mega Ball was 8, with a Megaplier of 2x. Following this significant win, the Mega Millions jackpot resets to $20 million for the next drawing scheduled for Friday, March 28, 2025.
Nearly 620,000 tickets won smaller prizes during the same drawing. A Florida ticket successfully matched the five white balls to win a $1 million prize.
The odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot remain daunting, set at 302,575,350 to 1, meaning that players are very aware of the odds against their lottery dreams being realized, yet the thrill of a possible windfall keeps many engaged.
Players sometimes wonder what happens if they win. If they are fortunate enough to match all six numbers, they can choose to receive their winnings either as an annuity or a one-time cash payment. The annuity is spread across one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments, each increasing by 5%, protecting the winner’s purchasing power against inflation. Alternatively, the cash option is a lump sum drawn from the prize pool.
This mega win continues a trend of substantial Mega Millions jackpots in 2023 and 2024, with one of the largest jackpots recorded in the game's history reaching $1.58 billion on August 8, 2023, in Florida. Another notable win occurred on December 27, 2024, when a ticket in California matched all numbers for a prize of $1.269 billion.
The excitement around the Mega Millions is palpable, as winners like Rosemary Casarotti of California remind everyone that transformation can happen overnight for those who dare to dream.
So, as ticket holders everywhere check their numbers and strategize their next move, questions abound: Will someone become an instant millionaire in the next drawing? Will the winning ticket be sold in your neighborhood? Only time will tell, as anticipation builds ahead of the next lucky draw.
As we move towards Friday’s drawing, hopefuls are encouraged to play responsibly. Each ticket represents a chance, a dream, and a multitude of possibilities.
