A big day for the Mississippi Lottery record books
By Kate Northrop
JACKSON, Miss. — Two Mississippi Lottery players scooped up two remarkable prizes in one day, setting a new record for the state's largest prizes won in two particular lottery games.
One Mega Millions prize of $4 million and a nearly-$1 million Match 5 prize were claimed on Wednesday in Mississippi.
The two prize claims set the record for the largest prizes won in both games in the state of Mississippi since the state started selling lottery tickets in 2019.
For the Mega Millions drawing that took place on Jan. 3, a Hinds County player made a decision that would cement her place in the record books as the first lottery player in Mississippi to win a $4 million prize in the game.
While the anonymous woman would normally choose her own numbers, she decided to go with a Quick Pick for this drawing. One thing she didn't switch up, however, was her usual habit of adding the $1 Megaplier option to her ticket.
Her ticket matched the five white ball numbers, 25, 29, 33, 41, and 44, to win the game's second-tier $1 million prize, but the drawn Megaplier number quadrupled her prize to $4 million. The Mega Ball was 18.
Not only was it the largest Mega Millions win to come from Mississippi, but it was the largest win in the state — period.
"We are thrilled to see such a big win in Mississippi," Mississippi Lottery President Jeff Hewitt said at the time of the win. "Last week we had a $1 million Mega Millions winner from Moss Point. The winner from the drawing last night is the largest amount won since the Mississippi Lottery began in November of 2019. Spending the extra dollar for the Megaplier option really paid off for this player, quadrupling their $1 million win to $4 million."
The nameless winner bought her extraordinary ticket the Chevron gas station on South Siwell Road in Byram, which received a $5,000 bonus commission for selling it.
Claiming their own prize on the same day as the lucky Mega Millions winner was a Clay County man who won a $905,168 Match 5 jackpot — also the largest in the game's history.
"Visiting with both winners today was extraordinary," Lottery President Jeff Hewitt said. "We enjoyed learning about their plans for their wins and why they enjoy playing Mississippi Lottery games. It's always a great day when we have winners; but having two record-setting winners claim on the same day was an enjoyable experience for Lottery staff."
The Match 5 winner also bought his ticket using the Quick Pick option, something he's always done whenever he buys several tickets every few weeks. The Sprint Mart on Highway 45 North in West Point sold him the winning ticket.
"This is an outstanding win for one lucky Mississippi Lottery player," Hewitt remarked when the jackpot was hit this week. "Mississippi Match 5 is a player favorite, and we can't wait to greet the winner of this record-setting jackpot."
After the game went 25 drawings without a winner, that lucky player matched all five winning numbers to win the jackpot in the drawing on Feb. 7, which were 1, 2, 8, 31, and 33.
The $905,168 prize was the highest jackpot since Match 5 launched in Mississippi in April 2021. It greatly outpaced the previous jackpot record, which climbed to $665,000 in July 2021.
The Mega Millions jackpot currently stands at $67 million for the drawing on Tues., Feb. 14, while the Match 5 jackpot offers a $60,000 jackpot for the drawing on Tues., Feb. 14. Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 10:00 pm CT, and Match 5 drawings occur on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 9:30 pm CT.
The winning numbers and prize amounts can be found on Lottery Post's Mississippi Lottery Results page.
Great story. That megaplier 2nd place win is the difference between retirement and no retirement for many. It just takes one ticket.
Clearly rigged.
Obvious sarcasm aside where are the conspiracy theorists that get upset when the big states in the northeast or the west coast win despite their overwhelming population size thus probability of win. 😂
Great question............ the fact is we should all be happy for all winners. Regardless of what region of the country they are from. I even get delighted when I read stories from Kate about winners in Great Britain and other European countries. More winners, please.
That Mississippi Match 5 win was awesome because the jackpot had rolled over so many times it was much larger than the odds. (In other words, it had a positive expected return.) Congrats to both winners. And it's good to see that MS Lottery respects winners' privacy.
When Louisiana first started its lottery, I heard people complain about how many of the big winners were in the New Orleans area, which is the most densely populated part of our state. When more tickets are sold in an area, statistically there will be more winners there. It's just a numbers game.
When I hear about a winner, I'm always happy for them and want to congratulate them and hope if I hit it big others will do the same. I wish we could all be that way.
Congrats to the winners, enjoy !
Good morning, quick question. I am new to the on-line game. Where is everybody betting at for the multiple state? I am in Florida, but would like to place bets in other states as well. Is there a website for betting in multiple states? Thanks for a response.
You have to live in a state to play their online games. For example , Virginia lottery allows online play for almost all of their state games but you have to register and live in Virginia. The second I step out of Virginia, even with a registered Virginia address, I cannot buy an online ticket and you have to allow the location option.
I know there are 3rd party websites that allow this and charge a fee but I would pass on that option.
#8