A lucky lottery player who purchased a Mega Millions ticket near Sarasota is now $800 million richer.
Florida Lottery officials announced Wednesday that the lone winning ticket for Tuesday night's $800 million Mega Millions jackpot was sold at the Wawa located at 14510 State Road 70 E. in Bradenton, just east of Lakewood Ranch. The jackpot-winning ticket matched all six numbers drawn Tuesday night, ending a 37-drawing rollover streak.
The winning numbers for the Tuesday, July 28, drawing were 34-48-49-59-70, and the Mega Ball was 12.
The winner can choose between the advertised $800 million annuity or an estimated $344.2 million cash option before taxes. The jackpot ranks among the largest in Mega Millions history and is the biggest lottery prize
won in Florida since the state's record-setting $1.602 billion Mega Millions jackpot in August 2023.
The Bradenton Wawa is located along the busy State Road 70 corridor in eastern Manatee County, a short drive from Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch.
Two other tickets also won multimillion-dollar prizes in Tuesday's drawing. A ticket sold in Illinois matched five numbers with a 5X multiplier to win $5 million, while a ticket purchased in New York matched five numbers with a 3X multiplier to win $3 million.
The Mega Millions jackpot had rolled over 37 consecutive drawings since it was last won in Ohio on March 17.
Mega Millions drawings are held at 11 p.m. ET every Tuesday and Friday. Following Tuesday's jackpot win, the game resets to its starting jackpot for the next drawing Friday night.
Below are some frequently asked questions about Mega Millions and Powerball.
How long do you have to cash in a Florida Lottery ticket?
Prizes for Florida Lottery must be claimed within 180 days (six months) from the date of the drawing. To claim a single-payment cash option, a winner has the first 60 days after the applicable draw date to claim it.
What are the odds of winning Mega Millions?
The odds of winning are pretty low. According to the Mega Millions site, players have a 1 in 290,472,336 chance to match all five white balls plus the gold Mega Ball.
Can you stay anonymous if you win the lottery in Florida?
According to Florida Lottery's website, winners cannot remain anonymous: "Florida law mandates that the Florida Lottery provide records containing information such as the winner's name, city of residence; game won, date won, and amount won to any third party who requests the information."
However, the site states the "names of lottery winners claiming prizes of $250,000 or greater will be temporarily exempt from public disclosure for 90 days from the date the prize is claimed, unless otherwise waived by the winner."
Lottery experts and lawyers have said there are ways to remain anonymous if you win.
Top 10 highest Mega Millions jackpots of all time
As of July 28, 2026, these are the largest Mega Millions prizes in the history of the game, according to megamillions.com.
- The largest Mega Millions jackpot won on a single ticket was for $1.58 billion for Aug. 8, 2023, drawing. Final sales pushed the grand prize to $1.602 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Neptune Beach, Florida, Publix. Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida, claimed the prize.
- The second-largest Mega Millions jackpot was $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
- $1.348 billion won in Maine on Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.337 billion won in Illinois on July 29, 2022
- $1.22 billion won in California on Dec. 27, 2024
- $1.128 billion won in Neptune, New Jersey, on March 26, 2024
- $1.050 billion won in Michigan on Jan. 22, 2021
- $983 million won in Newnan, Georgia, on Nov. 14, 2025
- $800 million won in Texas on Sept. 10, 2024
- $800 million, July 28, 2026, TBD
Mega Millions, Powerball jackpots that hit $1 billion and higher
As of July 28, 2026, there have been 14 lottery jackpots that have reached or surpassed $1 billion. Only once has a jackpot surpassed $2 billion. Listed below are the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.
- $2.04 billion Powerball prize, Nov. 7, 2022, Edwin Castro of Altadena, California
- $1.82 billion Powerball prize, Dec. 24, 2025, won by an anonymous player in Arkansas
- $1.79 billion Powerball prize, Sept. 6, 2025, tickets purchased in St. Louis, Missouri, and Fredericksburg, Texas
- $1.73 billion Powerball prize, Oct. 11, 2023, Theodorus Struyck of California (ticket purchased at Midway Market in California)
- $1.586 billion Powerball prize, Jan. 13, 2016, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California, Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt of Melbourne Beach, Florida, and John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee
- $1.58 billion Mega Millions prize, Aug. 8, 2023, Saltines Holdings LLC of Miami, Florida
- $1.537 billion Mega Millions prize, Oct. 23, 2018, won by an anonymous player in South Carolina
- $1.348 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 13, 2023, LaKoma Island Investments, LLC, with the ticket purchased in Lebanon, Maine
- $1.337 billion Mega Millions prize, July 29, 2022, won by an anonymous partnership with a ticket purchased in Des Plaines, Illinois
- $1.326 billion Powerball prize, April 6, 2024, Cheng and Duanpen Saephan and Laiza Chao of Oregon
- $1.269 billion Mega Millions, Dec. 27, 2024, Rosemary Casarotti of California
- $1.128 billion Mega Millions prize, March 26, 2024, won by an anonymous winner in New Jersey with the ticket purchased at ShopRite Liquor No. 781 in Neptune Township, New Jersey
- $1.08 billion Powerball prize, July 19, 2023, Yanira Alvarez of California
- $1.050 billion Mega Millions prize, Jan. 22, 2021, won by the Wolverine FLL Club of Oakland County, Michigan
Does Walmart sell lottery tickets? Where to buy lottery tickets in Florida
In Florida, most gas stations and some grocery stores sell lottery tickets. It's harder to find a gas station that doesn't sell Powerball, Mega Millions, Florida Lottery, and scratch-off tickets than it is to find one that does.
Publix also sells lottery tickets and is known for selling many winning tickets. A lesser-known location is Walmart. Whether the Walmart location closest to you sells lottery tickets depends on your state and the store. Many Walmart locations in Florida have self-service lottery ticket vending machines or sell lottery tickets at the customer service desk.
You can use the "Where to Play" search tool on the Florida Lottery website to find a grocery store or gas station near you that sells lottery tickets.
Wade Tatangelo is the executive editor of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Florida dining and entertainment editor for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and X. He can be reached by email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Support local journalism by subscribing.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida's $800 million Mega Millions ticket sold near Sarasota
