Good Luck Strikes On Friday The 13th: Mega Millions Jackpot Winner In Maine After 25 Drawings
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.
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