A single US lottery ticket wins a .14 billion jackpot

A single US lottery ticket wins a $2.14 billion jackpot

A single winning ticket to a $1.337 billion (NZ$2.14 billion) Mega Millions lottery jackpot, the second largest in US history, was sold in Illinois, lottery organizers said Saturday.

“Congratulations to the Illinois Lottery for selling the winning ticket to the $1.28 billion Mega Millions jackpot,” said Pat McDonald, president of the Ohio Lottery, in a statement.

“We are excited to see who won and look forward to congratulating the winner soon!”

The ticket was sold at the Speedway fuel and convenience store on East Touhy Avenue in a Chicago suburb of Des Plaines, Illinois. In Friday night’s draw, the jackpot was estimated at $1.28 billion, but grew as people piled up to try their luck.

The yet-to-be-identified holder of the winning ticket, which would have cost $2 to purchase, matched all six numbers. They have a choice of a one-time payment of $780.5 million or an annual payout over 30 years.

Most winners go for the lump sum, which comes with a hefty tax bill, according to the Mega Millions website.

The winning numbers for the jackpot, which had been rolling since it was last won at $20 million in Tennessee on April 15, were 13, 36, 45, 57 and 67, plus the mega ball 14.

It is the second largest jackpot in the game’s 20-year history, topped only by the $1,537 billion won in South Carolina in October 2018.

The last Mega Millions lottery was held in 45 states, Washington, DC and the US Virgin Islands.

Half of the proceeds from the sale of each Mega Millions ticket will remain in the state where the ticket was sold; the money supports lottery beneficiaries, such as education or public employee pensions, and shopping commissions.

“This exciting jackpot run has had a significant positive impact on the charitable contributions raised by our member lotteries,” said Ohio lottery chief McDonald, chief executive of the Mega Millions Consortium.

Retailers get a 1.0% sales bonus for the winning lottery ticket, capped at $500,000, according to Harold Mays, director of the Illinois Department of the Lottery.