Mega Millions
Lottery player wins $1.22 billion – if he’s patient enough
A lottery ticket from California has won the Mega Millions jackpot. The winner will win $1.22 billion – or an instant win of $549.7 million.
The billion dollar jackpot of the US lottery Mega Millions has been won. The ticket with the winning numbers 3, 7, 37, 49, 55 and the super number 6, which were determined on Friday, was sold in California, Mega Millions announced on its website. Who was allowed to collect the estimated sum of 1.22 billion dollars (around 1.17 billion euros) initially remained secret.
Big deductions when paying out your lottery winnings in cash
The total amount of the Mega Millions jackpot only goes to one winner, who has the sum paid out in 29 annual installments. However, almost all grand prize winners opt for a cash payout, which was estimated at $549.7 million in Friday night’s drawing. Taxes are due on the winnings.
The jackpot had swelled to this huge sum because there had been no Mega Millions winner since September 10th. Even though the odds of winning are 1 in 302.6 million, people eagerly bought tickets.
The record is even higher
The largest ever Mega Millions jackpot ticket worth $1.6 billion was sold in Florida in August 2023. Two prizes for the Powerball lottery, which is related to Mega Millions, were even bigger.
Mega Millions and Powerball are sold in 45 US states, as well as the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Powerball is also available in Puerto Rico. The prices for Mega Millions tickets will be increased from two to five dollars in April, which should increase the number of possible big wins.
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Source: Stern
