Bought a Week Late, Hits 800 Billion Won 'Jackpot'... Second-Largest Prize in U.S. Online Lottery History

Mega Millions Jackpot in the U.S.
Winner Claims $536 Million

A lottery winner has emerged in Illinois, United States, with winnings of approximately 800 billion won. This marks the second-largest prize ever won through an online lottery in U.S. history.

On March 18 (local time), the regional U.S. media outlet Chicago WGN reported, "A female lottery purchaser from Illinois has won this year's first Mega Millions jackpot and is set to receive $536 million (about 804.2 billion won)."

Lottery. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Pixabay

7, 16, 21, 30, 35, 65... "Chose her favorite numbers"

According to the Illinois Lottery Authority, the anonymous winner matched all six numbers, including the Mega Ball, in the drawing held on March 10. The winning numbers were 16, 21, 30, 35, 65, and the Mega Ball was 7.

The winner said she was in a state of shock when she realized she had won such a large sum. She stated, "I couldn't believe it. I was shaking and thought, 'This can't be real.' I even asked my daughter to call the prize claim center to confirm, but it still doesn't feel real."

She added, "I originally tried to buy a lottery ticket online a week earlier but failed to complete the payment. That day, I even joked with my boss, saying, 'Maybe it just wasn't my lucky day.'"

She later purchased a ticket again on March 10. After receiving numbers via the auto-pick, she changed the combinations several times and finally selected a combination that included her favorite numbers. She said, "When I saw my favorite number, 16, I just decided to go with it."

The winner shared, "It has always been my dream to buy a new family home with a swimming pool," adding, "I'm also considering a cruise trip or a trip to Las Vegas."

After taxes, she is expected to receive about $380.82 million (578.7 billion won).

First jackpot of the year... Odds of winning are about 1 in 300 million

Mega Millions, along with Powerball, is one of the most popular lotteries in the United States. Each ticket costs $5, and to win the jackpot, one must match five numbers plus the Mega Ball, for a total of six numbers. The odds of hitting the jackpot are about 1 in 300 million.

This winning ticket was purchased online and represents the first Mega Millions jackpot winner of the year. In terms of U.S. online lottery prizes, it is also the second-largest amount on record.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.