A resident of Lebanon, Maine, where just 6,500 people reside, put an end to the three-month bonanza that saw 25 consecutive Mega Millions drawings with no winner, by purchasing the winning ticket of Friday’s drawing.
The Winning Numbers? 30-43-45-46-61 and gold Mega Ball 14.
The Win? A whopping $1.35 billion, the second-highest in Mega Millions history, and the fourth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history.
The winner has still not been identified, but the store that sold the ticket, Hometown Gas & Grill, will receive a substantial selling bonus.
“Congratulations to the Maine State Lottery, which has just won its first-ever Mega Millions jackpot,” Pat McDonald, Ohio lottery director and lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in a statement Saturday morning.
What’s The Catch? If the winner wants to receive the $1.35 billion in full, they must select an annuity with payments spread over a 29-year period.
The cash option, which would be estimated at $724.6 million for Friday night’s drawing, is usually chosen by winners.
Since the game’s inception in 2002, someone has won on a Friday the 13th seven times, according to Mega Millions — so much for the superstition-laden day being unlucky.
Read also: 21 Ideas on How to Make Money Right Now
The Previously Biggest U.S. Lottery Jackpots Ever Won
|
Game
|
Location(s)
|
Date
|
Amount
|
|
Powerball
|
California
|
Nov. 8, 2022
|
$2.04 billion
|
|
Powerball
|
California, Florida, Tennessee
|
Jan. 13, 2016
|
$1.586 billion
|
|
Mega Millions
|
South Carolina
|
Oct. 23, 2018
|
$1.537 billion
|
|
Mega Millions
|
Illinois
|
July 29, 2022
|
$1.337 billion
|
|
Mega Millions
|
Michigan
|
Jan. 22, 2021
|
$1.05 billion
|
|
Powerball
|
Wisconsin
|
March 27, 2019
|
$768.4 million
|
|
Powerball
|
Massachusetts
|
Aug. 23, 2017
|
$758.7 million
|
|
Powerball
|
Maryland
|
Jan. 20, 2021
|
$731.1 million
|
|
Powerball
|
California
|
Oct. 4, 2021
|
$699.8 million
|
|
Powerball
|
Iowa, New York
|
Oct. 27, 2018
|
$687.8 million
|
Source: apnews.com
Photo: courtesy of Shutterstock.
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.