The Mega Millions lottery drawing was held Friday night, and authorities say that someone in Illinois bought the winning ticket. That person has yet to come forward, but the individual stands to win $1.28 billion. The winning ticket was sold at a Speedy Cafe Speedway convenience store in Des Plaines, Illinois.
The winning numbers were 13, 36, 45, 57, 67, with a Mega Ball number 14. The Megaplier was 2x.
The winner is able to choose whether to be paid in a lump sum, or to be paid via an annuity. This would allow the winner to be paid each year for the next 29 years.
The lump sum amount would be approximately $747.2 million, and most winners do opt for the lump sum option.
The Ohio Lottery Director, Pat McDonald, issued a statement: “Congratulation to the Illinois Lottery for selling the winning ticket for the $1.337 billion Mega Millions jackpot. We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in the Mega Millions history.”
While McDonald acknowledged that the identity of the winner is still unknown, he stated that the jackpot run “has had a significant positive impact” for “good causes” that are raised by members of the lotteries.
This $1.28 billion jackpot is the third-largest prize amount in the history of the lottery. The record Mega Millions jackpot is $1.537 billion, sold to a single ticket holder in 2018. The winner hailed from South Carolina. The largest jackpot for any American lottery won is $1.586 billion; this prize was shared by three different winners from Tennessee, California, and Florida.
The last lottery winner hit the jackpot on April 15. The odds of winning the Mega Millions is approximately 1 in 302.5 million, while the odds of winning the $1 million prize (which happens when the ticket matches the five balls in order) are 1 in 12,607,306.
According to the Mega Millions website, 26 winners hold a $1 million ticket. At least six winners will get a $2 million Megaplier prize. One million dollar ticket was sold at the New Way Deli and Lottery Corporation in the Bronx borough of New York City.
The next drawing, which will take place on Tuesday evening (August 2) at 11 p.m., will be for a total of $20 million.
At least forty-five states participate in the lottery. Tickets must be purchased in-person in most of these states, but in the following states one may buy tickets online:
- Illinois
- North Carolina
- District of Columbia
- Georgia
- North Dakota
- Virginia
- Kentucky
- New Hampshire
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
Although purchasers may buy these tickets online, the purchaser must live in the state where the ticket was purchased.
The Mega Millions jackpot of $20 million (annuity) begins at $20 million, and it grows based on both sales of tickets and the current interest rates for thirty-year U.S. treasuries.
States have some safeguards for lottery winners so that their identity is protected. For the most part, these safeguards are in place so that winners may be protected against theft or other safety compromises. Illinois is not one of these states, but Arizona, Florida, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Maryland are among states that allow for their winners to remain anonymous should they wish to do so.
However, some states have certain provisions about which winners can remain anonymous and what exceptions there are. In Ohio, complete anonymity is allowed, but in Minnesota, winners of monies under $10,000 will see their names published. In Georgia, winners of monies under $250,000 often have their identities published; only winners above that amount are allowed to remain anonymous.
In Florida, winners of $250,000 or more are provided 90 days to remain anonymous; after that point, the name of the winner, the city in which the winner lives, the amount won and the date the winning numbers were drawn is made public. However, Florida does not provide the street address of the winner nor the winner’s phone number to the public.
