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Winning $3 Million Mega Millions Ticket Sold In Central Illinois

February 25th, 2026


Photo caption: Employees Danelle W. (left) and Josh H. celebrate at Qik-N-EZ in Springfield, Illinois, after selling a $3 million Mega Millions ticket for the Tuesday, Feb. 24 drawing.

CHICAGO, February 25, 2026 — Someone in Central Illinois is celebrating a life-changing windfall after scoring a $3 million prize in last night’s Mega Millions® drawing.

The winning ticket was purchased at Qik-N-EZ, located at 430 N. Grand Ave. East in Springfield, Illinois. 

The ticket matched all five white ball numbers drawn on Tuesday, February 24 — 12, 39, 43, 49, 55 — but missed the Mega Ball, 23. With a 3X multiplier applied, the original $1 million prize was tripled to $3 million.

“This store has proudly served the community for more than 26 years and has celebrated many winning lottery moments along the way,” said Damon Cranford, CEO of Chronister Oil Company, which operates Qik-N-EZ stores throughout Central Illinois. “While this isn’t the largest prize we’ve ever sold, it’s certainly among the biggest.”

For selling the winning ticket, Qik-N-EZ will receive a $30,000 bonus — equal to 1% of the prize amount.

“Sharing in the excitement of a win like this is always special,” Cranford added. “We’re hopeful the ticket belongs to someone from our local community.”

In total, more than 11,000 winning Mega Millions tickets were sold in Tuesday’s drawing.

The excitement isn’t over — the Mega Millions jackpot has now soared to $458 million for the upcoming drawing on Friday, February 27. Illinois Lottery players still have a chance to strike it big.

Mega Millions tickets are $5 each and include a randomly assigned multiplier that improves all winning non-jackpot prizes by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X.

Tickets for the game can be purchased in-store, online, or on the Illinois Lottery app. For more information or to buy tickets online, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.

Mega Millions b-roll is available for the media; download here.

As the Mega Millions and Powerball jackpots continue to grow, the Illinois Lottery reminds players to play for fun, not funds. Be Smart, Play Smart®. Must be 18 or older to play. Game odds available at IllinoisLottery.com.

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About the Illinois Lottery
The Illinois Lottery, founded in 1974, has contributed over $25 billion to the State’s Common School Fund in support of K-12 public education in Illinois since 1985. The Common School Fund is the Illinois Lottery’s primary beneficiary, receiving nearly 99% of Illinois Lottery proceeds. The Illinois Lottery also supports various specialty causes as described in the Illinois Lottery Law (20 ILCS 1605/21.4). For more information about the Illinois Lottery and the causes we support, please visit IllinoisLottery.com.