$348,000,000 Mega Millions Ticket Won in Virginia!

The winning numbers for the draw were 18, 21, 29, 42, 50, and 2 for the Mega Ball. There was only one ticket that matched all six numbers to win the jackpot, although almost 300,000 other tickets did manage to win a prize by matching the Mega Ball or more.

In Virginia, lottery prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw they're for, or else the ticket expires and the prizes are forfeit! In this case, the jackpot winner now has until December 24th, 2025, to make their claim. 

The winner now has to choose whether they want to accept their prize as an annuity or a cash lump sum. Most jackpot winners opt for the one-off cash lump sum payment, which is smaller than the advertised jackpot and is still subject to taxes. The benefit is that they can access it all immediately, and the money can be invested (often) for better returns than the annuity would provide.

If they choose the annuity payout, they'll be awarded the full jackpot value, minus taxes, in annual payments over the course of 30 years. Perhaps a safer option if you're not the best with money… Which would you go for?

Mega Millions' New Rules in Action

Although this is the 10th Mega Millions jackpot won in Virginia overall, it's only the second Mega Millions jackpot won so far under the new game layout.

As of April, ticket costs were increased to $5, but the odds of getting a payout were improved thanks to a narrower number range. The Megaplier optional add-on was also revamped, and is now included as-standard on every Mega Millions ticket. If you win a non-jackpot cash prize, it's guaranteed to be multiplied by either 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10. Cool!

Another big change is the new minimum jackpot of $50 mil, which is now in play once more following this latest jackpot win. This is over twice the size of the previous minimum jackpot of $20 million. 

$50,000,000 is a truly life-changing sum of money - there's no need to wait for it to grow, get your tickets in now! Head down to the store, or visit our Tickets page if you prefer to play online.