A single ticket bought in the US beat the odds and won a $1.337 billion (€1.3 billion) Mega Millions jackpot.
According to megamillions.com, there was one jackpot-winning ticket in the draw on Friday, and it was bought at a Speedway petrol station and convenience store in a Chicago suburb.
The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67, Mega Ball: 14.
“We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” director Pat McDonald said in a statement on the lottery’s website.
“We’re eager to find out who won and look forward to congratulating the winner soon.”
The jackpot was the country’s third-largest lottery prize. It grew so large because no-one had matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15 – 29 consecutive draws without a jackpot winner.
🤑 💰 🎉 Winner Alert: Mega Millions® players, check your ticket! A lucky winner won $1,280,000,000! If you purchased your ticket from Speedway in Des Plaines, IL, you could be the winner! https://t.co/AidZEHZGHc pic.twitter.com/Jus6gwQTMY
— Illinois Lottery (@IllinoisLottery) July 30, 2022
Lottery officials had estimated the winning take at $1.28 billion (€1.25 billion), but revised the number up to $1.337 billion on Saturday.
The total prize is for winners who choose the annuity option, paid annually over 29 years.
Most winners opt for the cash option, which for Friday’s draw was an estimated $780.5 million (€763.3 million).
The odds of winning the jackpot are one in 302.5 million.
According to the Illinois Lottery, the store that sold the ticket is a pretty big winner, too; it will receive $500,000 just for selling the ticket.
Emily Irwin, managing director, advice and planning, at Wells Fargo’s Wealth & Investment Management, said the winner should consider keeping a low profile and resist going on an eyebrow-raising spending spree that everyone knows the winner cannot afford.
“This is not the time to start calling everybody you know, saying, ‘Hey, I have a big secret. Can you keep it?’” she said.
One thing the winner must do immediately is sign the ticket – because if the ticket has not been signed then it really is not yours. If the winner loses an unsigned ticket and another person finds it and signs it, the ticket now belongs to them.
Ms Irwin suggests a step further to survive a legal battle over ownership.
“Take a Polaroid of you holding it and (put) it in a safe deposit box or somewhere else safe,” she said.
