Record-breaking $29.71M Megabucks jackpot finally has a winner

After months of rollovers and a jackpot that shattered a decades-old record, the Massachusetts Lottery is celebrating that Megabucks finally has its winner. One lucky ticket matched all six winning numbers in the Monday, September 7, 2026, drawing to win the record-breaking $29.71 million jackpot. Even more impressive, especially for Megabucks players, is that the ticket didn’t have to share the historic prize.

Where was the record-breaking ticket sold?

The jackpot-winning ticket was sold for Monday night’s drawing. The winning numbers for that drawing happened to be 21, 28, 31, 34, 40, and 44.

According to lottery officials, the ticket was purchased at King Mart, located at 494 Westfield Road in Holyoke. The identity of the winner wasn’t immediately announced. This same retailer also sold a $15 million winning scratch-off ticket in 2025.

Whoever is holding onto the winning ticket will have one year from the date of the drawing to claim their prize. They can select the annuity option or choose to get a cash option of approximately $19.6 million before taxes.

Matching all six numbers isn’t easy, especially since we have gone 216 drawings without a jackpot winner. The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are 1 in 7.06 million.

Jackpot smashes a 41-year-old record

Monday’s win wasn’t just another big Megabucks jackpot. This was a record-breaking jackpot run for the in-state draw game.

At $29.71 million, it was the largest jackpot in the game’s history, surpassing a record that had stood for almost 41 years.

The previous high was $21.7 million for the October 16, 1985, drawing. That jackpot, however, was divided among eight winning tickets.

Before last night’s drawing, the biggest Megabucks jackpot ever won by a single ticket was $16.35 million in September 2022.

That means Monday’s winner didn’t just break the overall jackpot record. That means one ticket won nearly twice as much as the previous single-ticket record.

This jackpot has been climbing for well over a year. The last jackpot win took place on April 21, 2025. That means we have gone 216 drawings without a jackpot winner, but Labor Day 2026 brought us a jackpot winner.

What's next for Megabucks?

While there is a celebration for the jackpot win, it also means Megabucks players have to start over.

After this record win, the jackpot has reset to its starting value of $500,000 for the Wednesday, September 9 drawing.

Megabucks debuted in 1982. However, the game received a major overhaul in November 2023. During that time, the number field was reduced from 49 to 44, the price of tickets increased from $1 to $2, and Monday drawings were added to the existing Wednesday and Saturday schedule.

Lottery officials said those changes were designed to improve the odds and create bigger jackpots. Nearly three years later, Megabucks has delivered its biggest jackpot yet.

Now, somewhere in Massachusetts, one ticket holder may be finding out they just made lottery history.

Enjoy playing the Massachusetts Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.