One lucky winner beat the odds and won $1.3 billion Jackpot Mega Millions.
Seconds megamillions.com, there was a winning ticket in Friday night’s drawing and it was purchased in Illinois at a Speedway in Des Plaines, Illinois, according to Mega Millions officials who held a press conference Saturday. The the winner will receive $780.5 million in cashand the retailer will receive a half-million dollar bonus, Mega Millions officials said.
The winning numbers were: 13-36-45-57-67. The Mega Ball: 14. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302.5 million.
The winner has yet to come forward, but has 12 months to claim their prize and 60 days to choose whether to take the cash option.
Some of the money, $26 million, goes back to the state of Illinois to help fund schools. It is the second-largest prize in the game’s 20-year history, surpassed by the $1.5 billion won in South Carolina in October 2018. It is also the largest prize in Illinois history.
The jackpot was the third largest lottery prize in the country. It grew so big because no one had matched the game’s six selected numbers since April 15th. That’s 29 consecutive draws without a prize winner.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states as well as Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands. The game is coordinated by state lotteries.
The next drawing will be held on Tuesday, with a jackpot of 20 million dollars.
