Mega Millions St. Patrick’s Day Jackpot Marks Fourth Major Lottery Win This Year

Posted on: March 20, 2026, 11:14h. 

Last updated on: March 20, 2026, 11:14h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • In less than three months, the Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots have hit four times
  • The latest jackpot hit came on St. Patrick’s Day
  • Mega Millions hit twice in just eight days

Mega Millions and Powerball keep on hitting, as 2026 shapes up to be a year to remember for lottery players.

Mega Millions jackpot Powerball
This Sunoco gas station in Ohio is where a $60 million Mega Millions jackpot ticket was sold for the St. Patrick’s Day drawing on March 17, 2026. The Mega Millions hit marked the fourth Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot this year. (Image: Google Maps)

The Luck of the Irish rang true for one lucky Mega Millions player this week who won a $60 million jackpot after matching the drawn numbers of 4, 11, 18, 38, and 50, plus the gold Mega Ball 24. The game’s top prize for the St. Patrick’s Day drawing on March 17 was only $60 million because the Mega Millions jackpot had hit only a week earlier on March 10.

Mega Millions said it was the first time since August 2023 that the jackpot hit on such a short turnaround. The lucky play was sold in Ohio at Tyler’s Short Stop in Van Wert, a convenience store at a Sunoco gas station.

The St. Patrick’s Day Mega Millions winner has 180 days to claim the prize. They’ll need to decide whether to take the full value of the $60 million annuity paid out over 29 years, or a one-time cash option of $27.1 million. Both amounts are before federal and state taxes.

The cash sum would equate to a net payout of $16.37 million after federal taxes of 37% and Ohio’s state tax of 2.75%. The Ohio Lottery allows winners to remain anonymous, so long as they establish a blind trust or similar legal entity to collect the winnings.

Van Wert is in Northwest Ohio, roughly 30 miles from Fort Wayne, IN.

Mega Millions Winner Comes Forward

The St. Patrick’s Day Mega Millions win marked the fourth Mega Millions and Powerball jackpot hit this year in less than three months. One of those life-changing prizes was redeemed this week.

The Illinois Lottery reports that the winner of the Mega Millions jackpot hit on March 10 has come forward. The jackpot was slightly higher than initially thought, $536 million instead of $533 million.

The winner chose to remain anonymous, as allowed under Illinois law for lottery winners above $250,000. The Illinois Lottery did not specify whether the woman opted for the cash or annuity, though the state requires winners who want the one-time sum to come forward within 60 days of the draw date.

The winner said she made the Mega Millions purchase through the Illinois Lottery’s iLottery platform. As for plans, the winner has a few ideas in mind.

I’ve always dreamed of buying a new family house with a swimming pool. We’re also planning a family meeting soon, so a cruise or maybe even a trip to Las Vegas could definitely be on the table,” she said.

The winner opted to use the anonymous nickname, “Lucky Lady.”

Fast Start to 2026

Here are the details on the four Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots won this year.

  1. Jan. 21: A single ticket in North Carolina wins a $209.3 million Powerball jackpot.
  2. March 2: A single ticket in Arkansas wins a $250.8 million Powerball prize.
  3. March 10: A single Mega Millions ticket sold in Illinois wins $536 million.
  4. March 17: A single ticket sold in Ohio wins the Mega Millions jackpot of $60 million.