Illinois
$344M jackpot-winning Mega Millions lottery ticket sold in Illinois
A lucky Illinois lottery player just hit the Mega Millions jackpot.
According to the Illinois Lottery, a jackpot winning Mega Millions ticket from the drawing on Tuesday, March. 25, was sold at a Casey’s General Store, located at 70 S. Somonauk Rd. in Cortland, in far western DeKalb County.
The ticket matched all five Mega Millions numbers — 1, 5, 17, 39, 62 and 8 — plus a Megaplier to win a whopping $344 million.
According to the Mega Millions website, it was the only jackpot-winning ticket sold as part of Tuesday’s drawing. The next drawing, with an estimated jackpot of $20 million, takes place at 10 p.m. CT Friday.
The big winner comes just before major changes take place for the lottery game, with a “new version” of Mega Millions set to go into effect in April that features ticket price increases, better odds and more frequent prizes, officials said in news release.
Breaking down the big Mega Millions changes to know about
Starting with the April 8 drawing, ticket prices will increase from $2 to $5.
The game also comes with a new prize matrix, which is broken down here.
The popular, $1 “Multiplier” add-on feature is also going away, according to the release. Instead, tickets will come with a “built-in multiplier.” The “Just the Jackpot” feature that was available in some jurisdictions will also be retired under the new rules, the release said.
Other game changes, according to Mega Millions officials:
- Improved overall odds – Overall odds to win any prize will improve to 1:23 from 1:24 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game
- Improved odds to win the jackpot – Odds to win the jackpot will improve to 1:290,472,336 from 1:302,575,350 due to the removal of one gold Mega Ball from the game. The new game will feature 24 Mega Balls instead of the 25 in the current game
- Larger starting jackpots – Following a jackpot win, the starting jackpot will reset to $50 million instead of the current $20 million.
- Faster-growing jackpots and bigger jackpots more frequently – Jackpots are expected to grow faster and get to higher dollar amounts more frequently in the new game. The Mega Millions Consortium estimates that the average jackpot win in the new game will be more than $800 million vs. approximately $450 million in the current game.
- 2X-10X prize increase with built-in random multiplier – Every non-jackpot win will multiply its base prize by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X or 10X automatically. Prizes in the new game will range from $10 to $10 million vs. the $2 to $1 million in the current game.
- Win more than the cost to play – With a minimum prize of $10 on a winning ticket in the new game, every winning ticket will pay out at least double the $5 cost for each play. In the current game, the minimum prize on a winning ticket and cost to play are the same: $2.
When do the changes take effect?
According to the release, the final drawing of the current version of Mega Millions is set to take place Friday, April 4. The first drawing under the new prize structure, officials said, will be held at 10 p.m. CT Tuesday, April 8.
“Unless someone wins the jackpot on the April 4, 2025 drawing, the jackpot from the current game will roll into the new game and continue to grow with ticket sales from the new game,” the release said.
Mega Millions and its lottery counterpart Powerball are sold in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is sold in Puerto Rico.
Powerball has said it had no plans to increase prices.
The Chicago Bears released a statement on Wednesday after Illinois legislators took a step forward with keeping the team in the state.
Shortly after the bill passed out of a House committee 15-5 and then was passed again by the full House, the Bears said the bill is not enough for them.
“We welcome the progress made on the House’s version of the mega project bill; however, additional amendments are necessary to make the Arlington Heights site feasible for our stadium project. We support Illinois leaders as they determine the path forward to making the essential changes to the mega project bill and aligning on infrastructure funding,” the team said in a statement.
The vote on Wednesday came after lawmakers spent weeks working to address concerns and criticism that the bill provided incentives to the team to leave Chicago and surrounding potential revenue shortfalls to area schools if the stadium is built in Arlington Heights.
Despite the team’s dissatisfaction, the megaprojects bill, which would allow the Bears to negotiate property tax payments directly with the Village of Arlington Heights, is headed now to the Senate.
A key piece of legislation designed to keep the Chicago Bears’ stadium project in Illinois is being weighed, and Rose Schmidt has details on what’s in it.
That said, the bill’s lead Senate sponsor State Sen. Bill Cunningham told NBC Chicago’s Mary Ann Ahern that legislators “feel no pressure to take a vote next week” when the Senate returns on Tuesday.
“We will work this bill like any other bill,” Cunningham said.
Though the team is not satisfied with the deal, it seems Illinois Governor Pritzker is.
“Governor Pritzker has been clear and consistent for years that the Bears should remain in Illinois, and that any legislation needs to protect taxpayers. Throughout the past few months, the Governor’s Office brought team leadership, local officials, and legislative partners to the table to craft a deal around public infrastructure improvements, property tax fairness, and affordability measures. Today is an important step, and the Governor’s Office looks forward to working with the Illinois General Assembly to advance a bill that reflects our shared priorities,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
The new initiative invites young, up-and-coming directors,…
Enter your email and we’ll send a secure one-click link to sign in.
CIProud.com is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
CIProud.com is provided by Nexstar Media Group, Inc., and uses the My Nexstar sign-in, which works across our media network.
Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is a leading, diversified media company that produces and distributes engaging local and national news, sports, and entertainment content across its television and digital platforms. The My Nexstar sign-in works across the Nexstar network—including The CW, NewsNation, The Hill, and more. Learn more at nexstar.tv/privacy-policy.
-
News9 minutes agoWho is John Phelan, the US Navy Secretary fired by Pete Hegseth?
-
New York2 hours agoMamdani Considers Delaying Pension-Fund Payments to Ease Budget Gap
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoThings to do in Metro Detroit, April 24 and beyond
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCA to open 3 new state parks and expand others, including in Bay Area: Here’s where
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoWild vs. Stars Game 3: Key takeaways as Dallas takes series lead on Wyatt Johnston’s 2OT winner
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMiami-Dade deputies detain elderly father who they say shot and killed his son after a domestic dispute
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoBoston has one of the best public markets in the country, says USA TODAY
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoRed flag fatigue? Colorado sees near-record number of critical fire days