Ohio Player Becomes First Millionaire for Life Jackpot Winner
Wednesday April 29th 2026A couple of months after the game began, Millionaire for Life hit an important milestone on Monday night as someone won the top prize for the first time. The winning ticket was sold in Cleveland, Ohio.
The arrival of Millionaire for Life in 31 states on February 22 marked the biggest lottery launch in years, with the game brought in to replace Lucky for Life and Cash4Life.
It has proved to be a popular addition, creating tens of thousands of winners in lower prize tiers every day, but the top two prizes had remained out of reach until Monday’s drawing.
The winning numbers for April 27 were 4, 15, 19, 21 and 31, with a Millionaire Ball of 4. Go to the Prize Payouts page for details of how many winners there were in each category.
The jackpot-winning ticket was sold at Giant Eagle, located at 15325 Edgecliff Ave., in Cleveland. The Ohio Lottery has confirmed that it was a manual-pick ticket, so the lucky player chose their own numbers rather than opting for an Auto Pick or Quick Pick.
The winner has 180 days from the draw date to claim their prize. They must decide whether to take the prize as an annuity, worth $1 million every year for the rest of their life, or go for a one-time payment of $18 million. Both options are subject to federal and state taxes.
One advantage that big winners in Ohio have over their counterparts in other states is that they are allowed to stay anonymous, so it is unlikely that the identity of the first Millionaire for Life winner will ever be revealed.
Will More Winners Follow?
Now that Millionaire for Life has delivered its first jackpot win, lottery officials will hope that it captures even more interest and generates greater ticket sales over the coming weeks and months.
As more players take part, more money will be raised for good causes in participating states, and it is likely that the top prizes will be won on a more regular basis. As well as the jackpot, the game has a second prize of $100,000 a year for life (cash option of $2.2 million).
Ohio may have claimed the glory of crowning the first jackpot winner, but other states are already eyeing their moment in the spotlight. James Carey, Executive Director of the New Jersey Lottery, said: “Congratulations to this lucky ticket holder and to the Ohio Lottery on this wonderful jackpot prize. The New Jersey Lottery has some of the luckiest players in the nation, and we hope to bring the next Millionaire for Life jackpot to our players.”
Millionaire for Life draws take place daily at 10:15 PM CT. Make sure to grab a ticket to give yourself a chance of winning, then view the numbers as soon as they are available.
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