A single lottery ticket sold at a humble Chicago Speedway gas station + convenience store has won the latest Mega Millions jackpot. The total payout? A jaw-dropping US$1.337 billion (AU$1.9 billion).
This past weekend, the following digits were drawn: 13-36-45-57-67, with a mega ball number of 14. But so far, nobody has publicly stepped forward to claim their instant fortune. And in light of the fact Illinois state laws dictate lottery winners who rake in over US$250,000 (AU$357,000) can opt to remain anonymous, we may never know the identity of the newly-minted individual.
“We are thrilled to have witnessed one of the biggest jackpot wins in Mega Millions history,” said Ohio Lottery Director Pat McDonald, the current lead director for the Mega Millions Consortium.
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“We’re eager to find out who won and look forward to congratulating the winner soon!”
The jackpot – which represents the third-largest lottery prize in US history – snowballed over the course of 29 consecutive draws without a single winner. Officials initially predicted the take would amount to US$1.28 billion (AU$1.8 billion) but revised the figure to $US1.337 billion (AU$1.9 billion) soon after. Reports indicate the odds of being right on the money were an incredibly slim 1 in 302.5 million.
For reference, the mystery winner behind this Mega Millions prize now enjoys a net worth that trumps almost three-quarters of the 2022 AFR Rich List. If said mystery winner were to hypothetically be considered by the financial publication’s annual rankings, they’d immediately edge out…
- Sam Arnaout ($1.89 billion)
- Paul Little ($1.82 billion)
- Maha Sinnathamby ($1.82 billion)
- Paul Salteri & Family ($1.82 billion)
- Jonathan Munz & Family ($1.80 billion)
So how’s your Tuesday going?
