An Iowa man’s life changed overnight after he won a $3 million jackpot. The winner has been identified as Jaime Zavala, a Navy veteran from Norwalk, who purchased a Mega Millions ticket from Kwik Star at 1200 Chatham Avenue last year.
The numbers were drawn on Veterans Day, i.e., on November 11, 2025. Zavala’s ticket ended up matching the first five of the six numbers: 10, 13, 40, 42, and 46. Had his ticket matched the last number, Mega Ball 1, as well, he would have won the jackpot of a whopping $900 million jackpot.
While some would call Zavala unlucky for missing out on generational wealth by just one number, $3 million is still enough to change his fortune. The winner says that the amount will help him pay off his mortgage and lead a comfortable life.
This Mega Millions ticket paid off a mortgage. 🏡💸
Jaime Zavala of Norwalk, a U.S. Navy veteran, won $3M in the Veterans Day drawing — just one number shy of the jackpot.
This is his winning ticket. 👀🍀 pic.twitter.com/MCsXc8CsLt
— Iowa Lottery (@ialottery) January 14, 2026
He also plans to use the money to buy a new pickup truck. His current vehicle is 10 years old and has already traveled 250,000 miles. Zavala claimed the prize on January 13 after visiting the Iowa Lottery’s Clive office.
Apart from him, only two more people were lucky enough to earn millions in the Veterans Day drawing. One person from Arizona won $5 million, while another from New York gained $3 million.
The Mega Millions lottery has been operating for nearly 30 years now, as the first drawing took place in September 1996. It is one of the two U.S. jackpot games, the other one being Powerball.
Only six states participated in the first Mega Millions lottery. The number has now increased to 45 states, along with the U.S. Virgin Islands and Washington, DC.
As for how the lottery works, a player gets to select six numbers from two separate pools. The first five numbers range from 1 to 70 and are drawn on white balls.
The sixth and final number is between 1 and 24 and is displayed on a Golden Mega Ball. The ticket costs $5, and drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday.
The astronomical odds of winning a Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336. Nevertheless, some people have still been able to achieve this feat.
The $1.6 *billion* Mega Millions jackpot from Aug. 8, 2023 drawing was just claimed in Tallahassee by Saltines Holdings, LLC 💰
They opted for one-time, lump-sum pay of $794,248,882
The Publix that sold the winning ticket in Neptune Beach, FL will get a $100,000 bonus pic.twitter.com/nykGnlvQyw
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) December 27, 2023
In August 2023, Florida-based Saltines Holdings, LLC won a staggering $1.602 billion. Earlier in January of the same year, a ticket purchased in Maine hit a jackpot of $1.348 billion.
More recently, an anonymous person from Georgia claimed a $983 million jackpot, becoming the state’s biggest-ever lottery winner. Gretchen Corbin, the President of Georgia Lottery Corp., stated at the time, “We are thrilled to celebrate Georgia’s record-breaking jackpot winner and their life-changing start to the new year.”
While the prizes look enticing, people should still be cautious when playing, as the lottery is a form of gambling. Its addiction can lead to financial strain if not played responsibly.
