A Big Win in Virginia: Mega Millions Hits $348 Million

In mid-2025, Virginia struck gold with a massive Mega Millions win. On June 27, a lucky ticket matched all six numbers, snagging an estimated $348 million prize, or $155. 5 million in cash. This win marked the fourth jackpot of the year and the tenth for Virginia, their biggest yet. The jackpot had been growing since its last win in Ohio on April 18. This win was special because it was the second under the new $5 game format, which started on April 8. The new format has been a game-changer, offering bigger prizes across the board. In just 20 drawings, nearly 4. 9 million tickets won prizes, totaling almost $120 million in non-jackpot winnings. That's over 4. 4 times more than the old format would have paid out. The recent jackpot run also produced eight multi-million dollar second-tier prizes. With the new multiplier in play, four winners took home $2 million each, two won $3 million, and two others secured $4 million. Additionally, 107 third-tier tickets were won, ranging from $20, 000 to $100, 000, spread across 31 states. In the June 27 drawing alone, 299, 888 tickets won prizes. Five tickets matched four white balls plus the Mega Ball, winning third-tier prizes. One winner in California got $20, 000 with a 2X multiplier, three others in Indiana, Massachusetts, and Vermont won $30, 000 with a 3X multiplier, and a New Jersey winner took $40, 000 with a 4X multiplier. Before the game change, two other jackpots were won this year: $112 million in Arizona on January 17 and $349 million in Illinois on March 25. The next drawing on July 1 will start with a fresh jackpot of $50 million, or $22. 4 million in cash. Mega Millions stands out as the only lottery game with seven jackpots over $1 billion, all in different states. The largest was a whopping $1. 602 billion in Florida on August 8, 2023. Tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D. C. , and the U. S. Virgin Islands for $5 each. Half of the proceeds stay in the state where the ticket was sold, funding good causes and retailer commissions. Drawings happen every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p. m. Eastern Time in Atlanta, Georgia. The odds of winning any prize are 1 in 23, while the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 290, 472, 336.