$1 billion Mega Millions jackpot has a winner
There's winning and then there's winning big. A lucky Michigan lottery player won big Friday night — $1 billion big.
Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot was one the most valuable lottery jackpots ever, according to organizers.
One ticket matched all six numbers — 4, 26, 42, 50, 60, and 24 —necessary to win the estimated $1 billion prize, according to Mega Millions. The yet-to-be-identified winner can choose between long-term payments or a $739.6 million lump-sum payout before taxes.
The odds of winning were 1 in 302,575,350.
It's the third-largest lotto jackpot since 2016. The record Powerball jackpot of $1.586 billion went to three people from Tennessee, Florida and California who each had the winning numbers in 2016. The largest single jackpot winner hit the Mega Millions numbers for $1.537 billion in late 2018.
The Mega Millions jackpot has been climbing in value since September, when it was reset to $20 million after a $120 million win. This was the longest stretch with no winner in the history of the game, Mega Millions officials said in a statement.
The jackpot's gains have been slow partly because fewer people have been playing during the pandemic. Mega Millions is available in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
On Wednesday, a single ticket sold at a convenience store in Lonaconing, Maryland, hit all six numbers in the Powerball jackpot. That win is worth $716.3 paid over 30 years or a cash prize of $546.8 million.
