‘I wish I would have played’: Residents buzzing after $349M jackpot Mega Millions ticket sold in Dekalb County

CORTLAND, Ill. — Residents in the Town of Cortland are buzzing with excitement after a life-changing jackpot Mega Millions ticket was sold at a local convenience store.

The newly minted millionaire snagged the $349 million jackpot prize after matching all five numbers and the Mega Ball during Tuesday’s drawing.

The winning numbers were 1, 5, 17, 39, 62, and the gold Mega Ball 8. 

The ticket was sold at Casey’s General Store, located at 70 South Somonauk Road in Cortland, Illinois, and the winner is not the only one walking home with a big prize. As a bonus for selling the ticket, the store will receive a cash bonus of $500,000.

But the prize winners are not the only ones excited to learn about the jackpot as the big win has sparked buzz among residents.

“It is a small community, it’s very family-friendly, you know, everybody knows everybody,” Cortland resident Lisa Brody said. “I come here for lunch every day so I’m glad to see that somebody that could use the money won, I hope its someone local. I wish I would have played personally.”

Brody is one of many residents in Cortland who are eager to learn who among them snagged the life-changing prize.

“Everyone is hoping that it’s somebody local,” Kim Shaw, Casey’s District Manager, said.

Shaw said this is the first time a jackpot ticket has been sold at their location.

“This is our first big win like this so we’re kind of playing it by ear and really looking forward to celebrating with the community,” Shaw said.

Since the win was announced, Sjhaw said there has been a noticeable increase in foot traffic all day as well as an increase in lottery ticket sales.

“We’re up about 50% than we would normally sell just today. So it seems that people are thinking that this is where you get the ticket,” Shaw said.

According to TaxAct’s Lottery Tax Calculator, Tuesday’s big winner will walk away with around $247,964,500, which equals out to about $83,760,000 in federal taxes and about $17,275,500 in state taxes.

Officials said the major win is the fourth time an Illinois Lottery player has hit a Mega Millions jackpot in nearly four years.

Mega Millions is a multi-state lottery game that draws twice a week on Tuesday and Friday evenings at 10 p.m. Tickets can be purchased in-store, online, or on the Illinois Lottery app.

Mega Millions costs $2 per game and players have a 1 in 37 chance of winning a prize, but jackpot odds are much higher at 1 in 302,575,350. For $1 extra, players can also add a Megaplier to their ticket for a chance to multiply their non-jackpot winnings.

Illinois Lottery winners have one year from the date of winning to claim their prizes and lottery officials advise players to write their names on the backs of winning tickets and keep them in a safe place until they are ready to claim their prizes.

Mega Millions is about to be overhauled with the promise of bigger prizes, better odds and faster-growing jackpots — if you don’t mind paying a higher ticket price.