INDIANAPOLIS — Tuesday’s Mega Millions jackpot is set at $530 million, which would be the fifth largest jackpot win in Mega Millions history. But with millions of Americans vying to win big, how many Hoosiers have walked away with the lucky winning ticket?
In the 20-year history of Mega Millions, only two big jackpot winners have come from Indiana.
In 2011, a family from Munster became the first Hoosiers to win the Mega Millions jackpot. The Bolke family won a drawing in February for a whopping $93 million. The Bolke family said they had played the lottery together for many. They ended up winning $46.5 million, splitting the jackpot with a group of postal workers from Michigan.
It took another five years for a Hoosier to win big. In 2016, a Hamilton County family had their life changed forever after winning big on a massive $536 million Mega Millions jackpot. The family said they’d rarely played the lottery and bought the ticket on a whim at a Speedway gas station in Cambridge City on their way to one of their children’s sporting events.
Born and raised Hoosiers, the Hamilton County family said they wouldn’t be quitting their day jobs despite the life-changing win.
While no other Mega Millions winners from Indiana have been reported, a Hoosier did win a Powerball jackpot worth $57.6 million in 2008.
Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing with be the 27th drawing since the last jackpot hit. The cash value before taxes is $316.9 million.
The Hoosier Lottery may not have the big money prize of the Mega Millions jackpot, but it does offer Hoosiers a better chance at a winning ticket. Since 2018, 24 Indiana residents have won a million dollars in the Hoosier Lottery. Six Hoosiers have already won $1 million this year, including an Indianapolis resident winning in January.
With six years having passed since a Hoosier claimed a Mega Millions jackpot, the odds may seem long for a Hoosier to be the big winner. But, then again, some might just say that Indiana is due.
