There is winning and then there is big. A lucky Michigan lottery player won big on Friday night – $ 1 billion big.
According to the organizers, on Friday the Mega Millions jackpot was one of the most valuable lottery jackpots ever.
One ticket matches all six figures – 4, 26, 42, 50, 60 and 24 – according to Mega Millions needed to win the estimated $ 1 billion prize. The yet-to-be-identified winner can choose between long-term payments or a lump sum of $ 739.6 million before tax.
The chance of winning was 1 in 302,575,350.
It is the third largest lottery jackpot since 2016. The record $ 1.586 billion Powerball jackpot went to three people from Tennessee, Florida and California who each had the winning numbers in 2016. The biggest single jackpot winner has the Mega Millions numbers for $ 1.537 billion in late 2018.
The Mega Millions jackpot has risen in value since September, when it was restored to $ 20 million after $ 20 million. It was the longest stretch with no winner in the game’s history, Mega Millions officials said in a statement.
The jackpot profit is slow, in part because fewer people played during the pandemic. Mega Millions is available in 45 states, the District of Columbia and the US Virgin Islands.
On Wednesday, a single ticket sold at a supermarket in Lonaconing, Maryland, hit all six of the numbers in the Powerball jackpot. The win is worth $ 716.3 over 30 years or a cash prize of $ 546.8 million.
