Fortaleza Syndicate Takes Home Mega-Sena’s R$164.9 Million Prize

A single Mega-Sena bet placed at Loteria Aldeota in Fortaleza, Ceará, correctly picked all six numbers in draw 3042, held on Sunday morning (9 August) in São Paulo. The gross prize is R$164,895,645.00, the only top-tier win in this contest.

The winning entry was structured as a bolão – a syndicate ticket – with 15 numbers chosen and the total cost split into 100 equal quotas. While the jackpot is recorded under one wager, it will be divided among the 100 participants according to their quota holdings.

After federal lottery tax of 13.8% on prizes exceeding the exemption limit, the syndicate will receive roughly R$142 million. Per quota, that translates to approximately R$1.42 million before any internal syndicate rules or fees. The draw was broadcast live by Caixa Econômica Federal, which has been streaming all Loterias Caixa events online since April.

How a 15-Number Bolão Crushed the Odds

The power of a 15-number ticket in a syndicate

A standard Mega-Sena wager with just six numbers costs R$6 and carries a staggering 1 in 50,063,860 chance of hitting the jackpot. By pooling resources, the Fortaleza syndicate was able to purchase a 15-number bet. The exact price isn’t disclosed, but the table that Caixa publishes shows a 20-number ticket costs R$232,560; a 15-number ticket lies well below that, yet still runs into tens of thousands of reais – far beyond what a single player would typically risk.

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This move dramatically improved the probability of a win. Although the odds for 15 numbers are not stated in the official release, each additional number multiplies the coverage of possible combinations. In the end, the syndicate’s single ticket beat odds that for an individual six-number play would be 1 in 50 million.

What the net prize really looks like

All lottery prizes in Brazil above R$1,903.98 are subject to a 13.8% federal income tax, deducted at source before the funds are released. Applied to the gross R$164.9 million, that reduces the take-home pay to about R$142 million. Divided among 100 quotas, each holder can expect roughly R$1.42 million pre-any administrative fee the lottery agency or the organizer might charge. Even after minor deductions, the windfall remains a life-changing amount for all participants.