A resident of Florida has won the Mega Millions jackpot worth over $1.6 billion — the third-largest winning jackpot in U.S. lottery history.
The jackpot was finalized at $1.602 billion ahead of the drawing on August 8 after 31 consecutive drawings with no winners.
Mega Millions announced on August 9 that a winning ticket had finally appeared matching the white balls 13, 19, 20, 32, and 33 and gold Mega Ball 14.
This winning ticket was purchased at a Publix grocery store in Neptune Beach, according to the Florida Lottery. In accordance with Mega Millions’ rules, the retailer will receive a $100,000 bonus commission.
This is the fourth time the Sunshine State has yielded a jackpot winner. Upon claiming their prize, they can decide to have the winnings disbursed in 30 annual installments or as one lump sum.
“Congratulations to the Florida Lottery for selling a jackpot-winning ticket in Tuesday’s $1.602 billion Mega Millions drawing,” said Gretchen Corbin, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium.
“We congratulate our newest jackpot winner, as well as the more than 43.7 million winners at all prize levels throughout this jackpot run. We also celebrate the funds generated for the many good causes supported by our participating lotteries.”
Joining this lucky player are 7,056,452 others holding winning tickets for different prize levels in the game.
A total of seven tickets matched five white balls in Tuesday’s drawing, winning their purchasers the game’s second-tier prize.
Two of the tickets, each worth $2 million due to the Megaplier, were sold in Florida and North Carolina, while the remaining five were sold in California, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Texas.
The Dallas Express recently asked Dallas residents what they would do with the prize money if they won at Mega Millions. Many responded that they would share the wealth with friends and family, as well as donate some to charity.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been reset to $20 million for the next drawing on August 11.
