The mystery location behind Florida’s latest Mega Millions jackpot has been revealed. The sole ticket matching all six numbers in the Tuesday, July 28 drawing was sold at a Wawa in Bradenton, according to the Florida Lottery and Mega Millions.
The winning retailer is located at 14510 State Road 70 East in Bradenton, placing the life-changing purchase in eastern Manatee County.
The unidentified ticket holder won an estimated $800 million jackpot, the largest Mega Millions prize awarded so far in 2026 and one of the 10 biggest jackpots in the game’s history.
“We are thrilled to congratulate Florida’s newest Mega Millions jackpot winner on this incredible, life-changing moment,” Florida Lottery Secretary Reginald Dixon said in the lottery announcement.
“This win is an exciting reminder that every ticket carries the possibility of a dream come true.”
The winning numbers were:
34, 48, 49, 59 and 70, with Mega Ball 12.
Players who bought tickets in or around Bradenton are being urged to check them carefully and keep any possible winning ticket secure.
How Much Will the Bradenton Mega Millions Winner Receive?
The advertised $800 million jackpot applies if the winner chooses the annuity option, which is paid through 30 graduated annual installments.
The estimated lump-sum cash option was $344.2 million before federal taxes, according to the initial Mega Millions results.
Florida does not impose a state individual income tax, although federal taxes and withholding rules still apply.
Under Florida Lottery claim rules, a Mega Millions jackpot winner who wants the cash option must claim the prize within 60 days of the drawing.
The winner has 180 days from the July 28 drawing to claim the prize under the annuity option. A jackpot of this size must be claimed through Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
The prize will not be immediately available. Because Mega Millions is played across multiple jurisdictions, the participating lotteries must collect and transfer the money needed to fund the jackpot.
The Florida Lottery says Mega Millions jackpot prizes generally are not available until 15 days after the drawing.
The winner had not been publicly identified when the retailer location was announced.
Florida law provides a temporary confidentiality period for people claiming prizes of $250,000 or more. Certain personal information is exempt from public disclosure for 90 days after the prize is claimed, although the winner’s name may eventually become public.
Anyone holding the winning ticket should sign the back of the ticket and store it in a secure place before contacting lottery officials or seeking professional financial and legal advice.
The Florida Lottery recommends signing winning tickets with a pen so ownership can be established if the ticket is lost or stolen.
Bradenton Store Sold Florida’s Sixth Mega Millions Jackpot
The Bradenton victory is Florida’s sixth Mega Millions jackpot win or shared win since the state joined the game in 2013.
Florida is also home to the largest Mega Millions jackpot in history.
A ticket sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach won a record $1.602 billion jackpot in the Aug. 8, 2023 drawing. That prize was later claimed through a limited liability company.
The new Bradenton jackpot ended a run of 38 drawings without a grand-prize winner. During that stretch, nearly 10.9 million tickets won smaller prizes totaling more than $273 million, according to Mega Millions.
The July 28 drawing produced almost 646,000 winning tickets at various prize levels nationwide.
Tickets sold in New York and Illinois matched all five white balls but missed the Mega Ball, producing multimillion-dollar second-tier prizes.
Florida also produced three tickets that matched four white balls and the Mega Ball. Two were worth $20,000, while another was worth $30,000 because of the ticket’s automatic multiplier.
But only one ticket matched every number—and it came from the Wawa on State Road 70 in Bradenton.
The store could also receive a retailer bonus for selling the jackpot-winning ticket. The Florida Lottery had not yet detailed that payment in its initial announcement.
For now, the biggest question is whether the winner already knows that a routine stop at a Bradenton Wawa produced an $800 million ticket—or whether the winning slip is still sitting unchecked in a wallet, glove compartment, or kitchen drawer.
