2023-09-27 21:43:05
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The winner of August’s $1.6 billion Mega Millions lottery has come forward to claim the prize — the third largest in U.S. history — according to reports. officials on Wednesday.
In total, Mega Millions has had five prizes of more than $1 billion.
Under a new Florida law, the winner’s name remains anonymous for 90 days from the date the prize was claimed, which was Sept. 25, lottery officials said in an email. The lottery did not confirm whether the winner took home the lump sum or the annuity, and did not specify the estimated amount of the lump sum.
In Florida, winners must claim the entire amount within 60 days of the drawing. They have up to 180 days if they opt for the annuity, which is paid in 30 annual installments. The prize is also subject to federal taxes. There is no state income tax in Florida.
The winning ticket was sold at a Publix supermarket in Neptune Beach, a town on the Atlantic coast near Jacksonville. The winning numbers for August 8 were: 13, 19, 20, 32, 33; and the Mega Ball was the 14th.
The largest lottery prize in history was a Powerball ticket in California that was worth a whopping $2.04 billion, and was drawn on November 8, 2022. The second largest was also a Powerball prize, worth $1.586 million. dollars on January 13, 2016. That prize was divided among three winning tickets sold in California, Florida and Tennessee.
A single person in South Carolina won $1.537 million on October 23, 2018, while $1.35 billion was won in Maine on January 13, 2023 and $1.337 million in Illinois on July 29, 2022. All three were from Mega Millions.
Traditionally, most big prize winners have opted to receive the prize in a lump sum, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association.
Mega Millions is played in 45 states, as well as Washington DC and the US Virgin Islands.
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