A former lottery jackpot winner has shared his advice for the still-unidentified Mega Millions player in Florida who has landed an astonishing $800 million prize, including why the real challenge begins after the numbers are drawn.
The winning ticket matched 34, 48, 49, 59, 70, along with the gold Mega Ball 12, turning one purchase into one of the biggest prizes of the year.
That ticket was bought at a Wawa store in Bradenton, Florida, but the person holding it has not yet come forward publicly.
Among those weighing in is Timothy Schultz, host of the Lottery, Dreams and Fortune podcast, who knows firsthand how dramatically a jackpot can alter a life. Schultz won $28 million when he was 21.
Although the payout transformed his future, he has also spoken about the less obvious consequences that followed, including becoming more cautious about who he could trust and whether new people in his life were interested in him or his money.
With that in mind, Schultz says the new Florida winner should resist any urge to rush.
“My first piece of advice? Don’t cash the ticket tomorrow just because you can. Everyone thinks winning the lottery is a race to collect the money. It’s not. It’s a race to make good decisions.
“Secure the ticket, tell as few people as possible, and build a team before you claim. An experienced estate attorney and financial advisers can help you determine the best way to claim the prize, including options that may help protect privacy.”
He also stressed the importance of getting professional help before leaning on family or old acquaintances.
“The first person I’d trust is a good attorney. The last person I’d trust is the cousin I haven’t heard from in fifteen years.
“And yes, celebrate. Just do it quietly until the ticket is secure and the plan is in place.”
For now, the jackpot winner remains a mystery, and Schultz believes there is a good chance they will try to keep things that way for as long as possible.
“If they have the option, I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to stay as private as possible, at least in the beginning,” he said.
“I’ve interviewed winners who’ve happily gone public, but I’ve also spoken with others who wanted nothing more than a quiet life.
“A jackpot this big doesn’t just change your bank account. It changes how people see you.”
He added that anyone hoping to stay out of the spotlight needs strong guidance from the start.
“Once your name is out there, you can’t put that genie back in the bottle.”
Still, Florida law may make long-term secrecy difficult.
Under Florida Statute 24.1051, winners of prizes worth $250,000 or more are granted only temporary anonymity. Barnes Walker Law Firm says the statute ‘gives winners of prizes $250,000 or more a 90-day public records exemption for their name.’
After that window closes, ‘your name is 100% public record’ and ‘anyone who files a request can get it’.
That 90-day countdown does not begin when the ticket is purchased or the numbers are announced. It starts when the prize is officially claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters in Tallahassee.
However, winners seeking longer-term privacy have a workaround: establishing a legal entity such as a trust or limited liability company to claim the prize. If structured properly before the ticket is claimed, the lottery would then publicly identify the legal entity rather than the individual winner, potentially allowing for extended privacy protection beyond the 90-day window.
This $800 million jackpot represents the biggest lottery prize of 2026 to date, surpassing a $533 million Mega Millions win in Illinois in March. It marks the third Mega Millions jackpot won in 2026 and the 10th largest prize in the game’s history. Florida has been particularly fortunate with lottery wins, claiming the game’s all-time record jackpot of $1.602 billion in August 2023.